A new low for global democracy
More pandemic restrictions damaged democratic freedoms in 2021
GLOBAL DEMOCRACY continued its precipitous decline in 2021, according to the latest edition of the Democracy Index from our sister company, EIU. The annual survey, which rates the state of democracy across 167 countries on the basis of five measures—electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, democratic political culture and civil liberties—finds that more than a third of the world’s population live under authoritarian rule while just 6.4% enjoy a full democracy. The global score fell from 5.37 to a new low of 5.28 out of ten. The only equivalent drop since 2006 was in 2010 after the global financial crisis.
How do countries rank by military spending?
Our annual comparison of defence budgets using three benchmarks
How much worse could America’s measles outbreak get?
Our charts show how falling vaccination rates could lead to a surge in cases
Russia’s military parades have become a sign of weakness
Will this year’s event buck the trend?
Which countries have the best, and worst, living standards?
A ranking of 193 countries shows that human development is stalling almost everywhere
Who will be the next pope? Our tracker gives the odds
Punters have already plunked down $32m on the main contenders
Our Carrie Bradshaw index shows Australia’s housing is in crisis
In most big cities, the average worker struggles to afford their own place