Nepal Sees Slight Improvement in Global Democracy Ranking

Nepal has shown a slight improvement in its democratic standing, according to the latest report published by the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, the EIU.

The report, which ranks 167 countries based on their democratic performance, divides them into four categories: Full Democracy, Flawed Democracy, Hybrid Regime, and Authoritarian Regime. Nepal, classified as a hybrid regime, occupies the 98th position with a score of 4.60, indicating some progress compared to its score of 4.49 in the previous year.

Globally, the report highlights that nearly half of the world’s population resides in some form of democracy, but only a small fraction, 7.8%, enjoys the status of a “full democracy.” The majority, approximately 39.4%, live under authoritarian rule.

The positive news in the report is the increase in the number of democracies by two, with Paraguay and Papua New Guinea being upgraded from “hybrid regimes” to “flawed democracies.” However, Chile was reclassified as a “flawed democracy.”

India, categorized as a flawed democracy, demonstrated promising economic growth but still exhibits weaknesses in its democratic framework. It holds the 41st position with a score of 7.18.

Conversely, Pakistan experienced a significant drop in its ranking, falling 11 places to the 118th position and being downgraded to an “authoritarian regime” with a score of 3.25, despite its self-proclaimed status as the fifth-largest democracy.

Norway leads the global democracy rankings, followed by countries like New Zealand, Iceland, and Sweden, all classified as “full democracies.” The United States ranks 29th, while the United Kingdom stands at 18th place.

At the bottom of the list are countries such as Afghanistan, Myanmar, and North Korea, indicating severe deficiencies in their democratic systems.