The Democracy Perception Index

How the world sees democracy—largest global study to date

Why this report matters

In an era of rising political polarization, geopolitical instability, and declining trust in democratic institutions, the Democracy Perception Index 2025 offers the largest global study on how citizens perceive democracy in practice. This international survey provides data-driven insights into how people from over 100 countries evaluate the quality of democratic governance in their own societies.

Through one of the most comprehensive global public opinion surveys ever conducted, the report uncovers how core democratic values—such as freedom of speech, rule of law, and free elections—are perceived around the world.

What’s inside

Excel datasets containing aggregated data (non-respondent level) on citizens' views on democracy in 100+ countries
A global analysis of how people assess:
- The impact of democratic elections
- Checks and balances and separation of powers
- The rule of law and judicial independence
- Freedom of expression and media freedom
- Political pluralism and diversity of representation
- Access to civic education and democratic literacy
- Government transparency and accountability
- The peaceful transfer of power
Demographic and geographic breakdowns by region, age group, political system, and more

Who this is for

This report is an essential resource for:

Policymakers and diplomats working to strengthen democratic resilience
Political scientists, researchers, and journalists crafting narratives on democracy trends
NGOs, civil society organizations, and human rights advocates promoting civic engagement
Global companies and risk analysts assessing political stability and public trust worldwide

What makes it unique

Unprecedented scale: Survey of over 100,000 individuals across 100 nations
Granular analysis: Detailed segmentation by country, region, age, gender, and type of governance‍
Trusted reference: Cited by leading international organizations, academic institutions, and news media to shape the global democracy discourse

‍Key Findings

Views on the purpose of democracy vary significantly. In 52% of the countries surveyed, people say the main goal of democracy is to improve living standards and well-being. Enabling people to freely choose their government, or protecting individual freedoms and rights, were only selected as the top purpose by 19% and 16% of countries, respectively. Lastly, in only 13% of countries did most people say the main purpose of democracy is to promote a fair and peaceful society
Despite challenges, global commitment to democracy remains remarkably strong. Over two-thirds of people worldwide say it is very important to have democracy in their country, reaffirming the enduring appeal of democratic governance even amid complex global trends.
The overall state of democracy across the world is rated relatively poorly by citizens, with an average score across all countries and dimensions of 2.9 out of 5. The dimension on which people rate their countries highest is the impact of elections with a score of 3.22. The worst performing dimension is government transparency, on which people rated at 2.4.
The country in which citizens rate the state of democracy most highly is Norway, followed by New Zealand and Denmark. The countries where the state of democracy is rated most poorly are Bolivia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

This is the raw data for 100 countries in xls format (not respondent level), 8 dimensions of democracy, and 7 demographic segments (the report is available free of charge)
Demographics and segmentations:
- Age (18-35, 36-55, 56+)
- Gender (Male, Female)
- Income (High, mid, low)
- Education (High, mid, low)
- Employment status (Employed, unemployed/not working by choice)
- Ethnic minority (Yes, no)
- Large city/suburban/rural
Democracy dimensions:
- Impact of elections
- Separation of powers
- Rule of law
- Freedom of speech
- Political pluralism
- Civic education
- Government transparency
- Peaceful transition of power