Alarming study

The system of democracy is being pushed back worldwide

Armed conflicts have a negative impact on the state of democracies around the world.

(Bild: AFP)

The state of democracy around the world has deteriorated, according to an Economist study. The increasing occurrence of violent conflicts has severely impaired the global value of democracy. Authoritarians, on the other hand, are on the rise again.

45.7 percent of the world's population live in some form of democracy, but only 7.8 percent of these live in a "full democracy". In contrast, 39.4 percent live under authoritarian rule. As in the previous year, Norway, New Zealand and Iceland were in the top places. Bringing up the rear were North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan. 

Western Europe fares better
"This global deterioration in the state of democracy was caused in particular by negative developments in non-democracies, such as the rise in violent conflicts and authoritarian attacks there," it said in a statement. "Authoritarian regimes" have become more entrenched and countries classified as "hybrid regimes" are struggling to democratize.

About the study

The studies rated five categories with points from one to ten:

• Electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties.
• The global average score had fallen from 5.29 in the previous year to a low of 5.23 points.

In contrast to all other regions of the world, the average score for Western Europe improved slightly. However, the political landscape in America and Europe has become more polarized overall, according to the study. "In more and more countries, trust in the established political parties and their governments is declining."

Polarization causes democratic erosion
There are "culture wars" as there have been for some time in the USA, it said. "Western Europe is suffering from a lack of trust in government and is polarized on the issue of immigration."

Political polarization can also be observed in many Latin American and Caribbean countries. "Increasing violent crime has led voters to accept an erosion of democratic norms and civil liberties in return for the security of authoritarian governments," it said.

One example is El Salvador in Central America. There, President Nayib Bukele is using his success in reducing crime to expand his authoritarian power and undermine civil liberties.