EIU Index Calls India A "Flawed Democracy"; Causes Stir
India is ranked at 41 among 167 countries listed and got classified as flawed democracy. Pakistan has seen the biggest fall to get ranked as 'authoritarian regime' at 118.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released its Democracy Index 2024, painting a sobering picture of global democratic health - and India, the world’s largest democracy, finds itself under the spotlight once again.
The index, which assesses the state of democracy across 167 countries based on five key categories - electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation, and political culture - reports a global average score dropping to an all-time low of 5.17 (on a 0-10 scale), down from 5.23 in 2023. For India, the report underscores a persistent downward trend, reflecting challenges that have sparked both domestic and international debate.
India’s specific ranking and score for 2024 were not detailed in isolation within the initial release, but the broader narrative aligns with a pattern of decline noted in prior years. In 2023, India was ranked 41st and classified as a “flawed democracy” with a score hovering around the mid-5s. This year’s global downturn suggests India’s position likely remains precarious, especially as 130 of the 167 countries either stagnated or declined in their scores. Western Europe, the only region to see an improvement (scoring 8.38), stands in stark contrast to regions such as Asia, where India resides.
Countries - ranking between 8 and 10 - include Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Canada, Germany, South Korea and the UK, which are classified as "full democracy".
Italy with 7.69 points stands 34th in the list and classified as 'flawed democracy', while Mexico and Turkey are 'hybrid regime' with significant declines due to authoritatian tendencies. Russia ranked at 124, China at 148 and Iran at 151 followed by Saudi Arabia at 152.
Pakistan slided 11 places to get ranked at 118 and entered the "authoritarian" regime. The last in the list is Afganisthan (167th place with 0.32 points) is "the lowest-ranked authoritarian regime under Taliban rule.
India's ranking is particularly striking given the country’s massive electoral exercise in 2024, when over 640 million voters participated in the general elections, a feat often cited as a testament to its democratic vigor. Yet, the EIU report tempers this achievement with caution. Despite high voter turnout, the index points to erosion in areas such as civil liberties and electoral process fairness, echoing concerns raised by other organisations. For instance, Freedom House, which downgraded India from “free” to “partly free” in 2021, recently noted further deterioration in 2024, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s moves to influence judicial appointments and consolidate power.
Indian officials, however, have pushed back against such assessments. At a Munich security conference earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar symbolically raised his inked index finger - a nod to India’s voting process - asserting that “democracy has delivered” through tangible benefits such as nutrition support for 800 million citizens. Similarly, outgoing Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, speaking at an international election management conference in January, criticised global indices for relying on “a few media reports and social media conversations” rather than robust electoral metrics, proposing an “Election Integrity Index” to counterbalance these narratives.
The Democracy Index 2024 also reflects broader global pressures that resonate with India’s experience. The report highlights how 2024’s record election year - when over half the world’s population voted - failed to reverse democratic backsliding. Issues such as internet shutdowns, a notable sore point for India with 84 recorded in 2024 (down from 116 in 2023 but still the highest among democracies), underscore tensions between security measures and civil liberties. Critics argue these disruptions, alongside legal frameworks such as the Telecommunications Act 2023, clash with India’s ambitions to lead in digital governance and AI.
Public sentiment, as seen in posts on X, mirrors this divide. Some users celebrate India’s electoral scale and resilience, while others point to rankings such as the V-Dem Institute’s 2024 report, which branded India “one of the worst autocratizers,” a steep fall from its earlier “electoral autocracy” label. The Democracy Index’s dip in scores for civil liberties (-1.00 since 2008 globally) and electoral process (-0.66) aligns with these concerns, suggesting that India’s democratic fabric is fraying at the edges despite its vibrant political participation (a category that globally improved by 0.74 since 2008).
As India navigates its dual identity as a democratic giant and a nation under scrutiny, the 2024 Democracy Index serves as both a warning and a call to action. Whether it prompts introspection or further rebuttal from New Delhi, the story remains unfolding - rooted in a year where democracy, globally and locally, faced unprecedented tests.
