🌅 An Unprecedented Decline of Democracy

Sunrise Stat
March 23, 2026

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A new report by the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found democracy is back to 1978 levels for the average global citizen, erasing the gains made during the “third wave of democratization” that began in 1974. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of the global population—or 6 billion people—now live in autocracies, up from 50% in 2005. The V-Dem Democracy Report is the largest and most detailed of its kind, including contributions from more than 4,200 experts in 180 countries. V-Dem’s findings are based on five principles of democracy measured using 600 different attributes. The final report contains more than 32 million data points on 202 countries and territories, spanning from 1789 to 2025.

The report found democracy in the U.S. is deteriorating faster than in any other democracy in modern history. In a single year, the U.S.’s democracy score has fallen by 24%, dropping its world rank from 20th to 51st place (out of 179 nations). The plunge was driven by “a rapid and aggressive concentration of powers in the presidency,” instances of executive overreach, the lack of Congressional oversight, and ongoing attacks on the press, academic institutions, and civil liberties. Democracy in the U.S. during the first year of the second Trump presidency has fallen to the same level it was in 1965 (during the Civil Rights era), costing the U.S. its status as one of the world’s liberal democracies (V-Dem now classifies the U.S. as an electoral democracy).

Here, “liberal” does not mean progressive or left-leaning politics, as the term is used in the U.S. and Western Europe. V-Dem defines the “liberal principle” of democracy as emphasizing the importance of protecting individual and minority rights against state and majority repression. Liberal democracy extends beyond free elections and freedom of expression to include protections against government overreach. It’s achieved through separation of powers, protected civil liberties, rule of law, an independent judiciary, and checks and balances that collectively constrain executive authority.