The Economist Intelligence Unit has released its much-anticipated Democracy Index 2024, offering a global snapshot of the state of democracy across 167 countries and territories. In a year marked by political upheavals, backlashes, and widespread dissatisfaction with political parties, Cyprus has seen its ranking drop, reflecting broader global trends of disillusionment with representative democracy.

• Global Rank: 40th

• EU Rank: 22nd among the 27 EU member states

• Overall Score: 7.38 (out of 10)

• Change from Previous Year: -3 places

• Regime Type: Flawed Democracy

Despite maintaining its classification as a “Flawed Democracy”, Cyprus’s three-place drop in the rankings signals a concerning development.

According to the Index’s breakdown, the country performs exceptionally well in Electoral Process and Pluralism (9.17) and Civil Liberties (8.82).

However, the nation’s low score in Functioning of Government (5.36) is the worst among all countries that make the top 50.

Score Breakdown (Cyprus):

• Electoral Process & Pluralism: 9.17

• Functioning of Government: 5.36

• Political Participation: 6.67

• Political Culture: 6.88

• Civil Liberties: 8.82

This year’s Democracy Index echoes a persistent theme: democracy, in many parts of the world, is under strain. With data revealing that 83 countries experienced a decline in their score and only 37 showed any improvement, the overall global picture remains bleak.

Breakdown by Regime Type (2024):

• Full Democracies: 25 countries (15.0% of the total), encompassing 6.6% of the world’s population.

• Flawed Democracies: 46 countries (27.5%), representing 38.4% of the population.

• Hybrid Regimes: 36 countries (21.6%), covering 15.7% of the population.

• Authoritarian Regimes: 60 countries (35.9%), totaling 39.2% of the global population.

A striking takeaway is that more than one-third of the world’s population (39.2%) lives under authoritarian regimes—a figure that has inched up in recent years. These regimes show little inclination to enact democratic reforms, often resorting to increased repression to maintain power.

The highest-ranked countries continue to demonstrate strong democratic institutions and political culture are Norway, New Zealand, Sweden, Iceland, and Switzerland.

All five are classified as “Full Democracies”, with robust civil liberties, well-functioning governments, and high levels of political participation.

Conversely, at the bottom of the Index, entrenched conflict and authoritarian governance produce dire results are Afghanistan (worst score), Myanmar, North Korea, Central African Republic, and Syria.

Each of these states falls under the “Authoritarian Regimes” category, battling systemic violence, severely limited freedoms, and minimal political participation.

The strong showing in electoral standards confirms that Cypriots have access to fair and competitive elections. Yet the drop in the overall ranking and the especially low score in governmental functioning highlight persistent governance challenges. If these issues remain unaddressed, public trust in democratic processes could erode further.

The Democracy Index 2024 underscores a broader global reckoning: despite having formal democratic frameworks, many countries, including Cyprus, struggle to translate these structures into palpable outcomes for citizens. Populist movements continue to gain ground, fueled by perceptions that traditional politics and elites are out of touch.

With analysts predicting further tension between mainstream and populist forces, 2024’s findings serve as a reminder: maintaining—or improving—democratic standards requires an active, engaged electorate and political leaders willing to address the root causes of public discontent.