The latest Democracy Report from the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg reveals that democratic countries are now in the minority. Freedom of expression is declining, and high levels of disinformation and polarization are driving democratic backsliding.
Released in March 2025, the report is based on the world’s largest dataset on democracy. It is authored by a team led by Professor Staffan I. Lindberg, who will discuss the findings in-depth at the World Expression Forum in Lillehammer on June 2-3.
Key findings:
- Autocratization: 45 countries are autocratizing in 2024, up from 42 last year.
- Freedom of Expression: Declining in 44 countries, the highest recorded so far.
- Polarization: Increasing in a quarter of all countries, affecting many democracies.
“Freedom of expression is often first to be attacked during autocratization, and the data shows that government efforts at censoring the media is the preferred weapon of choice against democracy in the 45 autocratizing countries. Adding to this, half of all autocratizing countries increasingly use government disinformation to shape public opinion,” Lindberg comments in a press release from V-Dem.
Although the report does not include events in the USA in 2025, V-Dem is closely monitoring developments there with concern.
“The USA now seems to be heading towards a transition away from democracy under President Trump. In my view, the reverberations of this are and will be enormous across the world,” Lindberg noted.
Despite these challenges, there are positive developments. Democracy levels are rising in 19 countries, with Ecuador, Poland, and Sri Lanka making significant improvements. The report also introduces a Democracy Watchlist to monitor countries showing early signs of improving or declining democracy.
Photo: Johan Wingborg
