Pakistan falls in ‘democracy index’; Biggest improvement in scores of two Asian countries including India: Report

According to the ranking released by , democratic standards around the world suffered a decline in 2023 due to increasing conflicts, authoritarian crackdowns and lack of trust in mainstream political parties. economist,

In the report titled “Age of Conflict”, the London-based outlet’s Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) classified 165 independent states and two territories as full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes or authoritarian regimes. Norway, New Zealand and Iceland topped the index, while North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan took the bottom three spots.

Despite the increase in the number of democracies, the global average index score fell from 5.29 last year to 5.23 in 2023, reaching its lowest level since 2006. “The decline in the overall index score was due to reversals in every region of the world.” Except for Western Europe, whose average index score improved by the smallest possible difference (0.01 points). According to the EIU, every other region has seen its average score decline, with the largest regressions occurring in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa.

endangered Pakistan The Asian region saw a significant decline, with its score falling to 3.25, resulting in a decline from hybrid governance to authoritarian governance. Notably, more than half of the region’s 28 countries saw their scores decline, while only eight saw improvements. Pakistan was among the six countries globally whose classification was changed. Greece moved towards a full democracy, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay improved from hybrid regimes to flawed democracies, and Angola was upgraded from an authoritarian regime to a hybrid regime.

Pakistan was the only Asian country to suffer such a huge decline. According to the EIU, despite holding elections, countries such as Bangladesh and Russia, where opposition forces face state repression, are unlikely to see regime change or improved democracy. The decline in democratic standards can be attributed to factors such as electoral processes, pluralism and government efficiency. The EIU highlights the military’s large political influence in some areas, which it says compromises the fairness and competitiveness of elections.

ChinaAccording to the EIU, the regime, classified as authoritarian, demonstrated formal rather than concrete improvements in governance indicators. India Classified as a flawed democracy, it shows promising economic growth, reflecting a shift in global economic power. “China and India, the world’s most populous countries, recorded the largest score improvements in the region in 2023. China is an ‘authoritarian regime’, has a very low score (2.12) and ranks (148th) in the democracy index , while India is “classified as a ‘flawed democracy’ with a significantly higher score (7.18) and ranking (41st),” the report said.

Developed Western economies have now overtaken emerging Asian economies such as India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. Western Europe overtook North America in the index, indicating a shift in global democratic trends. United States of americaWhat was once considered a democratic symbol is facing internal division and disillusionment. The upcoming election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump could deepen these challenges, signaling a potential decline in American democracy.

“North America, which includes the US and Canada, remains the top performer in the Democracy Index. However, the region’s overall score fell from 8.37 in 2022 to 8.27 in 2023, leaving it behind Western Europe. According to the report, this is the first time that North America has not been ranked as the world’s highest scoring region since the Democracy Index was launched in 2006.