Democratic standards across the world fell again in 2021 against a backdrop of the Covid health crisis and growing support for authoritarianism, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual report published this week. Well under half of the world's population now lives in a democracy with France topping the list of Europe's "flawed democracies".
The EIU's 2021 index, called The China Challenge, provides a measurement of the state of global democracy.
It registered its biggest fall since 2010 and set "another dismal record" for the worst global score since the index was first produced in 2006.
Less than half – 45.7 percent – of the world's population now live in a democracy of some sort: a significant decline from 2020 when the figure was 49.4 percent.
The annual democracy index "sheds light on continued challenges to democracy worldwide, under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic and increasing support for authoritarian alternatives," the London-based group said.
'Flawed' democracy
In Europe, topping the list of "flawed democracies" is France.
It joined this status in the IEU's 2020 report after its score fell to 7.99 from 8.12 in 2019, owing to the "restrictions on freedom of movement, including multiple lockdowns and early national curfews".
Democracy is at its lowest global standing since 2006. #DemocracyIndex 2021 explores why: https://t.co/Qh4D8iZ213 pic.twitter.com/DbfmXy8k4c
— Economist Intelligence: EIU (@TheEIU) February 10, 2022
In the most recent index, the UK also dropped in the ranking following controversies over party financing and a series of scandals, but remains a "full democracy".
Even fewer – 6.4 percent – reside in a "full democracy" after Chile and Spain were downgraded to "flawed democracies". Spain's downgrade reflects a deterioration in its score for judicial independence, the report said.
Authoritarian rule
More than a third of the world's population live under authoritarian rule, a large proportion of which are in China.
"China has not become more democratic as it has become richer. On the contrary, it has become less free," the EIU said.
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The index's top three places are occupied by Norway, New Zealand and Finland with North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan at the bottom.
Along with Tunisia, Myanmar and Afghanistan recorded the biggest declines in the index following the military coup and Taliban takeover in those countries.
(With AFP)
