World Democracy Indices

I was pulled to return democraciness by some comments on the UK and the Copenhagen Criteria. I replied in this blog article, where I returned to Economist Intelligence Unit’s index and gave a nod to https://www.v-dem.net/ and Polity IV. See also https://davelevy.info/how-democratic-is-the-uk/ 2018. On quora I was pointed at some further indices that I had not seen before.

Today, I came across a reply to a quora troll.

What interested me is the cataloguing of indices I’d not hear of before, including Cato Institute’s Human Freedom Index, the World Population Review, which has a map and Freedom House.

The fact I have written critiques of the UK system entitles me to repeat the criticisms of the US system. See below for the thread,

What are the second and third freest countries after the USA? I’m guessing Canada is one. Maybe Europe or Japan, even though they are ruled by kings?

I have very bad news for you.

The United States is the only country that believes its the freest country in the world, maybe because they can freely own guns or pay for their own medical care. Who really knows.

Objectively, they’re not even close.

The Human Freedom Index, which is compiled by the Cato Institute, a right-leaning American non-profit think tank, places the United States 15th in 2025.

The World Population Review places the U.S. at 84 out of 100, tied for 54th place.

Freedom House ranks it at 81 out of 100, tied for 63rd

The reasons the U.S. ranks so low is:

• Poor access to the ballot box, including political violence and active attempts to restrict voting rights.
• Most recently, threats to news organizations by political entities, such as the FCC threatening the license of broadcast network ABC
• The world’s highest incarceration rate, and it’s not even close. That includes being one of only three nations who still implement the death penalty, and it’s the one that uses it the most often. There are also clear disparities in the application of justice across different groups
• Increased surveillance of citizens without judicial authorization
• Literally no control over the influence of money in politics.
• Although it didn’t come up in my scan, I would also point to very poor labor rights, including no access by unions to exclusive bargaining rights in over half the states and very little being done to counter union suppression.

Cato ranks the top three as:

• Switzerland, thanks to full participatory democracy, excellent press freedom, and no suppression of rights due to ethnicity (in fact, it has three major ethnic groups). It does fall a little thanks to state support of religion through taxes, but it allows several religions to be so supported.
• Denmark, due to nearly universal franchise and voting rights and excellent worker protection. It falls a bit on its treatment of immigrants.
• New Zealand, again a universal franchise and a history of treating indigenous peoples as equals. It falls a little bit over the economic disadvantages faced by the native Māori.

However, it should be noted seven of the top 15 are constitutional monarchies, although the UK didn’t make the list. Canada and Australia both did.