Taiwan ranks 12th in 2024 democracy index, leads in Asia

By:Focus Taiwan

Taiwan ranked 12th globally and remained ranked top in Asia in the 2024 democracy index compiled by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), according to a report released Thursday.

However, Taiwan’s total score was 8.78, slightly lower than last year’s 8.92 and 8.99 logged in 2022. Its global ranking was also down from 10th in 2023.

The five criteria comprising the index are: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties.

Taiwan obtained a full score of 10 in electoral process and pluralism. It received 8.57 in functioning of government, 7.78 in political participation, 8.13 in political culture and 9.41 in civil liberties.

The EIU also categorized each of the 167 countries and territories as a “full democracy,” “flawed democracy,” “hybrid regime” or “authoritarian regime.”

Taiwan remained ranked a full democracy.

Taking the lead in the index was Norway for the 16th consecutive year with a score of 9.81. New Zealand and Sweden followed, scoring 9.61 and 9.39 respectively.

The only other Asian country ranked a full democracy was Japan, with a score of 8.48, ranking 16th globally.

Last year a full democracy, South Korea was ranked a flawed democracy this year with a score of 7.75 and a global ranking of 32nd. The report attributed this shift to “tumultuous political events at the end of 2024,” referring to the sudden and short-lived martial law declaration.

China scored a total of 2.11, ranking 145th, and was categorized as an authoritarian regime.

The United States remained a flawed democracy with an unchanged score of 7.85, ranking 28th. Whether “historical checks and balances will remain in force and serve to improve or worsen the U.S.’s ranking in 2025” remains unclear, the report added.

Globally, democracy has been declining, with an average score of 5.17 in 2024. This marked a drop from 5.23 in 2023 and was the lowest logged since the index’s 2006 debut.

The EIU said that 39.2 percent of the population covered by the index live under authoritarian rule and only 6.6 percent live in full democracies.

Furthermore, 60 of the 167 countries and territories were authoritarian regimes and 25 full democracies.

The categories that saw the biggest drops from last year were the functioning of government (down by 0.13), and electoral process and pluralism (down by 0.08).

The report commented that the latter decline was disappointing because 75 countries held national elections in 2024.

However, the report said that not all of them were free and fair.