Democracy Perception Index 2026: Sweden Tops, India outranks US and China - Check where Pakistan ranks

It is a public opinion-based measure that captures how citizens across the world perceive the condition of democracy in their respective countries. It is derived from eight specific questions assessing the functioning of democratic institutions and processes in practice, which are combined to generate a single Index Score for each nation. The 2026 edition draws on responses from 94,146 participants across 98 countries, surveyed between January and March 2026. Based on their Index Scores, countries are classified into five categories: Very Positive, Positive, Neutral, Negative, and Very Negative.

Based on the Democracy Perception Index (DPI) 2026, the Very Positive category is led by Sweden with an overall index score of +29, supported by high marks in Civic Education (+51) and Rule of Law (+40), despite a -15 in Transparency. Norway follows with a score of +23, excelling in Rule of Law (+47) and Peaceful Transitions (+43), while Denmark holds a +21 index score, characterised by a category-leading +44 in Peaceful Transitions. Finland marks a +20 with an exceptional +56 for Peaceful Transitions, whereas Switzerland sits at +19 with a strong showing in Free Speech (+26). Within this tier, Ghana achieves a +17 overall, boasting the highest score for Elections (+39), followed by Sri Lanka at +16 with +36 for Elections. Finally, India rounds out the category with an index score of +15, notable for a strong +30 in Elections and being the only country in this group to maintain a positive Transparency score at +2.

The Positive category of the 2026 Democracy Perception Index features China leading with +14, which is behind India but ahead of Russia & US. And then followed by Canada at +13, South Korea with +12, while Oman and New Zealand both hold +11. A cluster at +10 includes the Netherlands, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Costa Rica, Austria, and Malaysia are tied at +9, followed by Namibia, Germany, and Senegal at +8. The category concludes at +7 with Kuwait, Uruguay, Algeria, Egypt, and Australia. Notable metrics include South Korea’s +51 in Elections and New Zealand’s sharp -41 in Transparency, reflecting diverse perceptions across these nations.

In this category, it reflects a broad spectrum of public sentiment across several continents, where the United States is behind India and China with a negative score of -1. Whereas Ireland, Jamaica, and Singapore sit at +2, while Thailand holds a neutral 0. Negative-leaning neutral scores begin with Hungary, Kenya, Italy, and Jordan at -1, followed by Israel and Saudi Arabia at -2. Further down are El Salvador, Argentina, Spain, and the United Kingdom at -3, with Poland, Taiwan, and Uzbekistan at -4. The tier concludes with Japan, Syria, and Congo at -5. Notable metrics include Hungary’s high +69 in Elections and Thailand’s significant -51 in Transparency.

The 2026 Democracy Perception Index reveals significant public dissatisfaction across 23 diverse nations in the negative category. Colombia leads this tier with an index of -6, followed by Georgia at -7. A group at -8 includes Nicaragua, South Africa, Moldova, and Morocco. Countries scoring -9 are Bangladesh, Belarus, the Ivory Coast, and Angola, while Chile and Portugal sit at -10. Further declines are seen in Bolivia, Honduras, and Puerto Rico at -11, followed by Pakistan at -12. Lithuania, Libya, and Brazil are tied at -13, while Mexico, Ecuador, Turkey, and the Dominican Republic round out the list at -14. Data highlights include Georgia’s sharp -51 in Separation of Powers and Puerto Rico’s category-low -74 in Transparency.

The Index represents nations with the most profound public distrust in democratic pillars. The surprising part of this data is that Russia and Ukraine sit in this category even behind India, China, the US, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Uganda and Kyrgyzstan lead this tier at -16, followed by Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Iraq at -17. Both Greece and Serbia score -18, while Nigeria and France sit at -20. A large group at -21 includes Guatemala, Russia, Romania, Indonesia, and Lebanon, followed by Palestine and Venezuela at -22. Cameroon, Ukraine, and Paraguay are tied at -23, with Yemen at -25. Kazakhstan concludes the index with the lowest overall score of -31. Notable data points include Greece’s category-low -72 in Transparency and Venezuela’s contrasting +49 in Elections.