Status
Where democratic institutions are today.
RETHINKK Index
Democracy
Direction
Index 2026
Democracy is not a status. It is a direction.
The Democracy Direction Index separates institutional status, institutional direction and velocity of change. A strong democracy can deteriorate; a weaker democracy can improve. The product is designed to track movement, not to flatten politics into a league table.
Development data - not published research
Direction
Whether institutions are improving, stable or deteriorating.
Velocity
How quickly institutional movement is happening.
World view
Institutions in motion.
Status
Resilient democracy
Institutional erosion
Autocratic - assessed
Not assessed in this edition
Direction
↑ Improving
→ Stable
↓ Deteriorating
Movement
Direction comes first.
Grouped dynamically by trajectory
Improving ↑
Hungary↑↑Botswana↑Fiji↑Gambia↑South Korea↑Malaysia↑Mauritius↑Moldova↑Montenegro↑Senegal↑Seychelles↑South Africa↑Sri Lanka↑Timor-Leste↑Poland↑Dominican Republic↑Gabon↑Lesotho↑Zambia↑Austria↑Brazil↑Stable →
Australia→Belgium→Canada→Costa Rica→Czechia→Denmark→Estonia→Finland→Iceland→Ireland→Japan→Luxembourg→New Zealand→Norway→Spain→Sweden→Switzerland→Uruguay→Taiwan→Andorra→Antigua and Barbuda→Bahamas→Barbados→Belize→Bulgaria→Cape Verde→Chile→Cyprus→Dominica→Germany→Ghana→Grenada→Guyana→Jamaica→Kiribati→Latvia→Liechtenstein→Lithuania→Malawi→Malta→Marshall Islands→Micronesia→Monaco→Mongolia→Namibia→Nauru→Nepal→North Macedonia→Palau→Panama→Papua New Guinea→Portugal→Saint Kitts and Nevis→Saint Lucia→Saint Vincent and the Grenadines→Samoa→San Marino→São Tomé and Príncipe→Sierra Leone→Slovenia→Solomon Islands→Suriname→Tonga→Trinidad and Tobago→Tuvalu→United Kingdom→Vanuatu→Kosovo→Netherlands→France→Bosnia and Herzegovina→Colombia→Ecuador→Romania→Singapore→Ukraine→Bhutan→Comoros→Ivory Coast→Iraq→Jordan→Kenya→Kuwait→Lebanon→Liberia→Madagascar→Maldives→Morocco→Paraguay→Peru→Honduras→Mozambique→Algeria→Angola→Bahrain→Burundi→Cameroon→Central African Republic→Chad→Republic of the Congo→DR Congo→Djibouti→Eswatini→Guinea→Guinea-Bissau→Kazakhstan→Kyrgyzstan→Mauritania→Oman→Qatar→Rwanda→Tajikistan→Togo→United Arab Emirates→Uzbekistan→Vietnam→Zimbabwe→Palestine→Afghanistan→Brunei→Equatorial Guinea→Eritrea→North Korea→Laos→Libya→Nicaragua→Saudi Arabia→Somalia→South Sudan→Syria→Turkmenistan→Venezuela→Yemen→Vatican City→Deteriorating ↓
United States↓↓Serbia↓↓El Salvador↓↓Georgia↓↓Bangladesh↓↓Burkina Faso↓↓Haiti↓↓Mali↓↓Myanmar↓↓Niger↓↓Sudan↓↓Greece↓Slovakia↓Italy↓Argentina↓Armenia↓Croatia↓Albania↓Bolivia↓India↓Benin↓Guatemala↓Indonesia↓Mexico↓Nigeria↓Pakistan↓Philippines↓Tunisia↓Türkiye↓Azerbaijan↓Cambodia↓Egypt↓Ethiopia↓Tanzania↓Thailand↓Uganda↓Belarus↓China↓Cuba↓Israel↓Iran↓Russia↓Trajectory
Strong can fall.
Weak can improve.
The chart separates institutional strength from institutional movement. It is not a simple ranking table.
Institutional strength
Direction / institutional movement
Strong + improvingStrong + deterioratingWeak + improvingWeak + deterioratingAFALDZADAOAGARAMAUATAZBSBHBDBBBYBEBZBJBTBOBABWBRBNBGBFBICVKHCMCACFTDCLCNCOKMCGCDCRCIHRCUCYCZDKDJDMDOECEGSVGQEREESZETFJFIFRGAGMGEDEGHGRGDGTGNGWGYHTHNHUISINIDIRIQIEILITJMJPJOKZKEKIKPKRKWKGLALVLBLSLRLYLILTLUMGMWMYMVMLMTMHMRMUMXFMMDMCMNMEMAMZMMNANRNPNLNZNINENGMKNOOMPKPWPAPGPYPEPHPLPTQARORURWKNLCVCWSSMSTSASNRSSCSLSGSKSISBSOZASSESLKSDSRSECHSYTJTZTHTLTGTOTTTNTRTMTVUGUAAEGBUSUYUZVUVEVNYEZMZWPSVATWXKAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCape VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosRepublic of the CongoDR CongoCosta RicaIvory CoastCroatiaCubaCyprusCzechiaDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiNorth KoreaSouth KoreaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorth MacedoniaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSão Tomé and PríncipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTürkiyeTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamYemenZambiaZimbabwePalestineVatican CityTaiwanKosovo