According to the latest report by the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, Nepal has made a slight improvement in its democratic standing.
The report evaluates 167 countries based on their democratic performance, categorizing them into four groups: Full Democracy, Flawed Democracy, Hybrid Regime, and Authoritarian Regime.
Nepal, classified as a hybrid regime, now holds the 98th position with a score of 4.60, indicating progress compared to its previous score of 4.49. Globally, the report emphasizes that nearly half of the world’s population resides in some form of democracy. However, only a small fraction—7.8%—enjoys the status of a “full democracy”, while approximately 39.4% live under authoritarian rule.
The positive news lies in the increase of democracies by two. Both Paraguay and Papua New Guinea have been upgraded from “hybrid regimes” to “flawed democracies”. On the other hand, Chile has been reclassified as a “flawed democracy”.
India, categorized as a flawed democracy, showcases promising economic growth but still faces weaknesses in its democratic framework. It currently holds the 41st position with a score of 7.18.
In contrast, Pakistan experienced a significant drop, falling 11 places to the 118th position. It has been downgraded to an “authoritarian regime” 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, countries such as Afghanistan, Myanmar, and North Korea exhibit severe deficiencies in their democratic systems.
