Iran
Autocratic
↓Limited deterioration2026 development data - not published research
The score supports the assessment. It does not compute the status on its own.
The judiciary is deeply embedded in the regime's security and ideological structure.
Media freedom is severely restricted through censorship, arrests and internet controls.
Candidate vetting and unelected oversight prevent genuinely democratic electoral competition.
Civic dissent and minority rights face extensive coercion and repression.
Ultimate power rests in unelected institutions beyond effective democratic checks.
Confidence: high. Confidence reflects evidence quality and assessment certainty, not democratic quality.
Direction analysis
The institutional baseline is already extremely low, but repression, censorship and arbitrary detention continue. The direction is therefore negative with a limited floor-effect velocity.
What changed
Freedom House rates Iran 10/100, down from 11, and records severe restrictions on media, political competition, due process and civic rights.
RETHINKK assessment
RETHINKK classifies Iran as autocratic with limited deterioration. Regular elections do not offset the Guardian Council's control over candidacy or the supremacy of unelected institutions.
Evidence
- Freedom HouseFreedom in the World 2026 - Iran2026-03-19 / 2026-08-30Source ->Supports: judicialIndependence, mediaFreedom, electoralIntegrity, civicSpace, checksAndBalances
- V-Dem InstituteDemocracy Report 2026: Unraveling The Democratic Era?2026-03-17 / 2026-08-30Source ->Supports: judicialIndependence, mediaFreedom, electoralIntegrity, civicSpace, checksAndBalances