List of Democratic Countries

Democracy is the word made from two words, 'demos' and 'kratos', which mean 'citizen' and 'power', respectively. As the meaning of the term suggests, a form of government in which people have the power to decide laws for themselves is known as Democracy. People directly vote for a decision if it is a "direct democracy," or they elect officials who take decisions on behalf of them in a case of "representative democracy".

Many different types of democracies exist, such as green Democracy, illiberal Democracy, constitutional Democracy, Industrial Democracy, demarchy, etc. An interesting fact is that any democracy can be classified into one or many subtypes. Therefore, the types overlap with each other.

Ingredients of Democracy

Like every other system, Democracy also has several elements which it must comprise in order to qualify as a democracy. These elements differ according to different theories. However, the main motto remains the same. We have listed below some of the must-have ingredients of Democracy. It will help you judge whether a government can be termed democratic or not.

• At least two political parties which are legitimate and different should coexist in the system.
• People should have a system of free and fair choices of candidates from different parties during the electoral process.
• People are given choice and control of their lives by ensuring transparent and open operation of the government. It is ensured that the elected representative and the system make decisions for the good of all the people, keep checks and balances, and abide by its own rules.
• It is expected in a democracy that the citizens will ensure a fair fight by voting regularly, making the power transfer peaceful, and accepting the will of the voters. Following this will show that the citizens are politically engaged and follow democratic principles.
• Be it majority or minority, all communities must have personal freedom, and their civil liberties must be preserved.
• The media of a democratic country should stand independent of the government. It should not be intimidated, interfered with, or influenced by the government in any form.

List of Democratic Countries

What is Democracy Index?

Economist Intelligence Unit has devised some parameters to gauge the state of Democracy in different countries. These parameters include the electoral process, political participation, civil liberties, functioning of the government, and political culture. There are over 60 different indicators in these five categories used for the evaluation, and rating is done on a scale of 0 to 10. The overall index score is then calculated by averaging the scores of these five categories. In 2020, the most democratic countries in the world were:

1. Norway(9.87)
2. Iceland(9.58)
3. Sweden(9.39)
4. New Zealand(9.26)
5. Finland(9.25)
6. Ireland(9.24)
7. Canada(9.22)
8. Denmark(9.22)
9. Australia(9.09)
10. Switzerland(9.03)