Democracy Index EIU

The Democracy Index EIU is a guide compiled by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research wing of the UK-based Economist group that publishes the famous weekly, The Economist. The crux behind formulating the Democracy Index by EIU was to measure the state of democracy in all the countries and territories across the globe. It must be noted here that globally there are 167 countries, among which 164 are members of the United Nations.

The year 2006 saw EIU come up with its first democracy index. The index works by presenting around 60 indicators categorized in five chapters. A ranking alongside a numeric score is presented after measuring each country's political culture, civil liberties, and pluralism. Depending on their scores, the countries are then classified into four regimes - authoritarian regime, hybrid regime, flawed democracy, and full democracy. India's score on Democracy Index EIU for 2021 is 6.91, and it enjoys the rank of 46.

The Five Categories of Democracy Index EIU

As said earlier, the democracy index by EIU is calculated based on five indicators. These five categories are -

• Electoral Process and Pluralism
• Political Participation
• The Functioning of the Government
• Democratic Political Culture
• Civil Liberties

List of the Top 5 Flawed and Full Democracies

India's Democracy Index EIU from 2012 to 2021

India has been categorized as a "flawed democracy" by the Democracy Index EIU. Here's a list of scores given to India in the last decade:

Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Democracy Index EIU

The coronavirus pandemic has had a terrible effect on the state of democracy across the globe. The average Democracy Index global score in 2020 was 5.37. While the authoritarian regimes across the Middle East and Sub-Saharan African countries noticed a mammoth dip in their scores in 2020, even the progressive regions of Australia and Asia noticed a fall in their scores since 2006. From nearly 70% of the 167 territories/countries, only 38 showcased an improvement in their scores, while the scores of 13 nations remained the same in 2020.

Taiwan showed the best improvement in the Democracy Index EIU of 2020. It went up by 20 places from 2019 to rank 11th in 2020. Mali, on the other hand, showcased the highest fall.

Three nations that were upgraded to full democracies from flawed ones in the year of the pandemic (2020) were Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.

FAQs on Democracy Index EIU

Q.1. What is the Democracy Index EIU?

The Democracy Index EIU is a guide compiled by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research wing of the UK-based Economist group that publishes the famous weekly, The Economist.

Q.2. What is the idea behind having a Democracy Index by EIU?

The crux behind formulating the Democracy Index by EIU was to measure the state of democracy in all the countries and territories across the globe.

Q.3. What is India's current rank and score at the Democracy Index EIU?

India's score on the Democracy Index EIU for 2021 is 6.91, and its rank is 46.

Q.4. Which are the three countries to upgrade to Full Democracy in the Democracy Index EIU 2020?

The three countries to upgrade from Flawed Democracy to Full Democracy in the Democracy Index by EIU of 2020 are Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.