Most Liberal Countries 2024

1.	Sweden	0.88
2.	Denmark	0.88
3.	Norway	0.86
4.	Costa Rica	0.85
5.	Estonia	0.84
6.	New Zealand	0.84
7.	Switzerland	0.84
8.	Finland	0.83
9.	Germany	0.82
10.	Ireland	0.82
11.	Belgium	0.82
12.	Netherlands	0.81
13.	Portugal	0.81
14.	Australia	0.81
15.	Luxembourg	0.8
16.	France	0.8
17.	South Korea	0.79
18.	Spain	0.78
19.	United Kingdom	0.78
20.	Italy	0.77
21.	Chile	0.77
22.	Slovakia	0.77
23.	Uruguay	0.76
24.	Canada	0.76
25.	Iceland	0.75
26.	Austria	0.75
27.	Japan	0.74
28.	Lithuania	0.74
29.	United States	0.74
30.	Latvia	0.73
31.	Czech Republic	0.71
32.	Taiwan	0.7
33.	Jamaica	0.69
34.	Cyprus	0.69
35.	Barbados	0.68
36.	Greece	0.67
37.	Argentina	0.66
38.	Vanuatu	0.66
39.	Trinidad and Tobago	0.66
40.	Peru	0.65
41.	Israel	0.65
42.	Suriname	0.65
43.	Romania	0.64
44.	Malta	0.64
45.	Croatia	0.63
46.	Moldova	0.62
47.	Slovenia	0.6
48.	South Africa	0.59
49.	Sao Tome and Principe	0.58
50.	Seychelles	0.57
51.	Ghana	0.57
52.	Panama	0.56
53.	Armenia	0.56
54.	Senegal	0.55
55.	Bulgaria	0.55
56.	Malawi	0.53
57.	Namibia	0.51
58.	Brazil	0.51
59.	Lesotho	0.5
60.	Mongolia	0.49
61.	Georgia	0.49
62.	Timor Leste	0.49
63.	Botswana	0.49
64.	Bhutan	0.48
65.	Burkina Faso	0.48
66.	Solomon Islands	0.47
67.	Dominican Republic	0.47
68.	Colombia	0.47
69.	Ecuador	0.47
70.	Mauritius	0.46
71.	Nepal	0.46
72.	Liberia	0.46
73.	Tunisia	0.46
74.	Maldives	0.45
75.	Indonesia	0.43
76.	Paraguay	0.43
77.	Sierra Leone	0.43
78.	Poland	0.41
79.	Gambia	0.41
80.	Albania	0.4
81.	Kenya	0.4
82.	Niger	0.4
83.	North Macedonia	0.4
84.	Montenegro	0.39
85.	Mexico	0.39
86.	Sri Lanka	0.38
87.	Bolivia	0.37
88.	Guyana	0.37
89.	Hungary	0.36
90.	Guinea Bissau	0.36
91.	India	0.36
92.	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.35
93.	Nigeria	0.34
94.	Papua New Guinea	0.34
95.	Singapore	0.33
96.	Guatemala	0.32
97.	Ukraine	0.32
98.	Tanzania	0.31
99.	Zambia	0.3
100.	Malaysia	0.29
101.	Lebanon	0.28
102.	Philippines	0.28
103.	Benin	0.28
104.	Kuwait	0.27
105.	Fiji	0.27
106.	Kyrgyzstan	0.27
107.	Jordan	0.25
108.	Serbia	0.24
109.	Ivory Coast	0.24
110.	Madagascar	0.24
111.	Morocco	0.24
112.	Mozambique	0.24
113.	Honduras	0.24
114.	Pakistan	0.23
115.	Iraq	0.22
116.	El Salvador	0.22
117.	Uganda	0.21
118.	Haiti	0.21
119.	Gabon	0.21
120.	Hong Kong	0.2
121.	Togo	0.2
122.	Angola	0.19
123.	Zimbabwe	0.19
124.	Mali	0.18
125.	Thailand	0.17
126.	Mauritania	0.17
127.	Central African Republic	0.16
128.	DR Congo	0.16
129.	Ethiopia	0.15
130.	Libya	0.15
131.	Algeria	0.15
132.	Palestine	0.14
133.	Oman	0.14
134.	Kazakhstan	0.13
135.	Cameroon	0.13
136.	Comoros	0.13
137.	Vietnam	0.13
138.	Djibouti	0.12
139.	Iran	0.12
140.	Egypt	0.12
141.	Rwanda	0.12
142.	Bangladesh	0.12
143.	Turkey	0.12
144.	Guinea	0.11
145.	Eswatini	0.11
146.	Republic of the Congo	0.11
147.	Russia	0.1
148.	Laos	0.1
149.	Somalia	0.09
150.	Uzbekistan	0.09
151.	Qatar	0.09
152.	Myanmar	0.08
153.	Sudan	0.08
154.	United Arab Emirates	0.08
155.	Cuba	0.08
156.	Burundi	0.08
157.	Venezuela	0.07
158.	Azerbaijan	0.07
159.	Chad	0.07
160.	Cambodia	0.07
161.	South Sudan	0.06
162.	Nicaragua	0.06
163.	Equatorial Guinea	0.05
164.	Bahrain	0.05
165.	Tajikistan	0.05
166.	China	0.04
167.	Saudi Arabia	0.04
168.	Turkmenistan	0.04
169.	Syria	0.04
170.	Belarus	0.04
171.	Yemen	0.03
172.	Afghanistan	0.02
173.	North Korea	0.02
174.	Eritrea	0.01

Liberalism around the World

Today, liberalism is increasingly becoming a dominant political ideology in many countries, characterized by the pursuit of liberty, equal rights, and social justice. Different nations demonstrate their liberal tendencies through their political practices, societal norms, and legislations. The 'Liberal Democracy Index' offers a comprehensive analysis of how liberal various countries are, based on an array of factors such as social liberties, political freedoms, rule of law, and governmental systems.

Scandinavian countries lead in liberalism. Sweden and Denmark top the Liberal Democracy Index with scores of 0.88 and 0.86 respectively. Norway isn't far behind at 0.86.
Costa Rica and Estonia stand out remarkably among their geographical neighbors. Despite being surrounded by countries with lower scores, Costa Rica and Estonia rank 4th and 5th on the index. Costa Rica scores 0.85, the highest within Latin America, while Estonia, with a score of 0.84, ranks the highest among Eastern European nations, surpassing even some Western European states.
While New Zealand and Australia are often aligned culturally, there is a noticeable gap in their liberalism scores. New Zealand, ranking 6th, outpaces Australia, which rests at the 14th position. New Zealand scores 0.84, contrasting with Australia's lower score of 0.81.
Within the United States, known for its long-standing democratic traditions, liberalism is moderately high. The United States is positioned at 29th place, holding a score of 0.74.
A striking finding is the low liberalism scores of numerous Middle Eastern and African countries. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Yemen, and North Korea occupy the bottom positions in the list with scores below 0.05

By Region

Afghanistan

See Less

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.02

#172

Albania

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.4

#80

Algeria

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.15

#131

Angola

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.19

#122

Argentina

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.66

#37

Armenia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.56

#53

Australia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.81

#14

Austria

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.75

#26

Azerbaijan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.07

#158

Bahrain

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.05

#164

Bangladesh

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.12

#142

Barbados

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.68

#35

Belarus

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.04

#170

Belgium

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.82

#11

Benin

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.28

#103

Bhutan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.48

#64

Bolivia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.37

#87

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.35

#92

Botswana

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.49

#63

Brazil

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.51

#58

Bulgaria

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.55

#55

Burkina Faso

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.48

#65

Burundi

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.08

#156

Cambodia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.07

#160

Cameroon

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.13

#135

Canada

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.76

#24

Central African Republic

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.16

#127

Chad

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.07

#159

Chile

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.77

#21

China

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.04

#166

Colombia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.47

#68

Comoros

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.13

#136

Costa Rica

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.85

Croatia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.63

#45

Cuba

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.08

#155

Cyprus

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.69

#34

Czech Republic

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.71

#31

DR Congo

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.16

#128

Denmark

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.88

Djibouti

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.12

#138

Dominican Republic

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.47

#67

Ecuador

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.47

#69

Egypt

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.12

#140

El Salvador

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.22

#116

Equatorial Guinea

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.05

#163

Eritrea

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.01

#174

Estonia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.84

Eswatini

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.11

#145

Ethiopia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.15

#129

Fiji

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.27

#105

Finland

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.83

France

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.8

#16

Gabon

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.21

#119

Gambia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.41

#79

Georgia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.49

#61

Germany

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.82

Ghana

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.57

#51

Greece

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.67

#36

Guatemala

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.32

#96

Guinea

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.11

#144

Guinea Bissau

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.36

#90

Guyana

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.37

#88

Haiti

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.21

#118

Honduras

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.24

#113

Hong Kong

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.2

#120

Hungary

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.36

#89

Iceland

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.75

#25

India

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.36

#91

Indonesia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.43

#75

Iran

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.12

#139

Iraq

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.22

#115

Ireland

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.82

#10

Israel

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.65

#41

Italy

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.77

#20

Ivory Coast

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.24

#109

Jamaica

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.69

#33

Japan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.74

#27

Jordan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.25

#107

Kazakhstan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.13

#134

Kenya

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.4

#81

Kuwait

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.27

#104

Kyrgyzstan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.27

#106

Laos

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.1

#148

Latvia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.73

#30

Lebanon

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.28

#101

Lesotho

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.5

#59

Liberia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.46

#72

Libya

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.15

#130

Lithuania

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.74

#28

Luxembourg

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.8

#15

Madagascar

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.24

#110

Malawi

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.53

#56

Malaysia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.29

#100

Maldives

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.45

#74

Mali

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.18

#124

Malta

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.64

#44

Mauritania

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.17

#126

Mauritius

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.46

#70

Mexico

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.39

#85

Moldova

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.62

#46

Mongolia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.49

#60

Montenegro

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.39

#84

Morocco

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.24

#111

Mozambique

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.24

#112

Myanmar

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.08

#152

Namibia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.51

#57

Nepal

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.46

#71

Netherlands

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.81

#12

New Zealand

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.84

Nicaragua

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.06

#162

Niger

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.4

#82

Nigeria

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.34

#93

North Korea

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.02

#173

North Macedonia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.4

#83

Norway

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.86

Oman

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.14

#133

Pakistan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.23

#114

Palestine

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.14

#132

Panama

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.56

#52

Papua New Guinea

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.34

#94

Paraguay

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.43

#76

Peru

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.65

#40

Philippines

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.28

#102

Poland

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.41

#78

Portugal

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.81

#13

Qatar

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.09

#151

Republic of the Congo

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.11

#146

Romania

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.64

#43

Russia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.1

#147

Rwanda

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.12

#141

Sao Tome and Principe

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.58

#49

Saudi Arabia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.04

#167

Senegal

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.55

#54

Serbia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.24

#108

Seychelles

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.57

#50

Sierra Leone

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.43

#77

Singapore

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.33

#95

Slovakia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.77

#22

Slovenia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.6

#47

Solomon Islands

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.47

#66

Somalia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.09

#149

South Africa

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.59

#48

South Korea

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.79

#17

South Sudan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.06

#161

Spain

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.78

#18

Sri Lanka

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.38

#86

Sudan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.08

#153

Suriname

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.65

#42

Sweden

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.88

Switzerland

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.84

Syria

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.04

#169

Taiwan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.7

#32

Tajikistan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.05

#165

Tanzania

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.31

#98

Thailand

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.17

#125

Timor Leste

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.49

#62

Togo

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.2

#121

Trinidad and Tobago

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.66

#39

Tunisia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.46

#73

Turkey

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.12

#143

Turkmenistan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.04

#168

Uganda

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.21

#117

Ukraine

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.32

#97

United Arab Emirates

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.08

#154

United Kingdom

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.78

#19

United States

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.74

#29

Uruguay

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.76

#23

Uzbekistan

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.09

#150

Vanuatu

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.66

#38

Venezuela

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.07

#157

Vietnam

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.13

#137

Yemen

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.03

#171

Zambia

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.3

#99

Zimbabwe

Metric

Value

Rank

Liberal Democracy Index

0.19

#123

Additional Political Datasets