The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released its 2021 Democracy Index. The results revealed a decline in global democracy since 2010.
The EIU report stated that the pandemic contributed to this democratic backsliding. In the 2021 Democracy Index, 74 out of 167 countries covered by the index—approximately 44.3% of the total countries measured—were categorized as democracies.
However, the number of countries classified as "full democracies" decreased to 21 in 2021, down from 23 in 2020.
Of the G20 countries (excluding the European Union), the EIU's index identified six as "full democracies": Australia, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Australia had the highest democracy index score, at 8.90. Indonesia ranked 14th among G20 countries and was categorized as a "flawed democracy" with a score of 6.71.
Countries classified as "flawed democracies" generally have free and fair elections and respect basic civil liberties. However, they still face fundamental issues such as low press freedom, an anti-critical political culture, weak citizen political participation, and suboptimal government performance.
(read: Survey BPS: DKI Jakarta, the Most Democratic Province in Indonesia)