A recent study by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) indicates that as new variants of the deadly Coronavirus continue to spread around the world, support for authoritarian governments has risen and democratic standards have dropped. More than 45 percent of the world’s population live in democratic countries.
A report released by Demos said that its annual democracy Index ‘provides insight into the continuing challenges facing democracy around the world, under pressure from the Coronavirus pandemic and increasing support for authoritarian alternatives’. The annual index has registered its biggest fall since 2010 and set ‘another dismal record’ for the worst global score.
In terms of the index, Norway, New Zealand and Finland top the list, while Afghanistan, North Korea, and Myanmar are at the bottom. Tunisia, Myanmar, and Afghanistan have also experienced the greatest declines in the index. This happened after there were controversies over party financing and some scandals.
There are currently just 6.4% of countries that are deemed ‘full democracies’. The UK has also fallen in the rankings. In the aftermath of party finance scandals and scandals, controversies arose. Changes have also taken place in China. ‘China has not become more democratic as it has become richer. On the contrary, it has become less free,’ the EIU said.
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