Economist Intelligence Unit: Less than half of the world’s population lived in a democracy in 2021

Less than half of the world’s population (45.7%) lived “in democracy” in 2021, as only 21 of the 165 countries with this status have “full democracy”, while the Afghanistan is now the least democratic country on the planet, according to a study by the group’s institute published by the magazine The Economist which was published on Thursday (10/2).

According to this study of the study and analysis department of the group (Economist Intelligence Unit, EIU), the “democracy index” in 2021 fell from 5.37 in 2020 to 5.28, in other words it experienced its biggest decline since 2010.

“The results reflect the negative impact of the pandemic on democracy and freedom in the world for the second consecutive year, the significant expansion of state power and the restriction of individual freedoms,” its authors argue.

In Europethe Spain in 2021 from “full democracy” to “defective democracy”, a category in which France from 2020.

In the same category are classified by EIU the USAthe Israel and the South Africa.

THE Swedenthe Luxembourg and United Kingdom (which dropped two places and is approaching the “weak democracies”) are in the first category of the ranking, as well as the South Koreathe JapanThe Mauritius and the Costa Rica. First is the Norway. However, the population of these countries is only 6.4% of the world.

In the category of “hybrid regime” one finds Bangladeshτη Senegalthe Ukrainethe Hong Kongbut also the Tunisiawhich marked one of the most spectacular falls.

In “authoritarian regimes” are classified by EIU the Algeriathe Egyptthe Russiathe Rwandathe Vietnamthe China. They account for more than a third of the world’s population (37.1%).

At the bottom of the ranking is Afghanistanwhere the power was taken over by Taliban in August 2021. It is now the country that is characterized as the least democratic in the world, always according to its study EIU.