New Delhi: India remains classified as an “electoral autocracy,” slipping five places on the Liberal Democracy Index, according to the 'Democracy Report 2026: Unraveling The Democratic Era', published by the V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg.
The annual V-Dem report highlights a growing global tilt toward autocracy. At the end of 2025, there were 92 autocracies and 87 democracies worldwide, with 74% of the global population now living under autocratic regimes. Electoral autocracy, the most populous regime type, governs nearly half of the world’s population—3.8 billion people—including India, Pakistan, and Indonesia.
Among the world’s five most populous countries, four—India, China, Indonesia, and Pakistan—are autocracies. The report notes that the United States, under Donald Trump, is rapidly moving toward autocracy, marking the first time in 50 years it no longer qualifies as a liberal democracy.
India entered the electoral autocracy category in 2017. Out of 179 countries, it ranks 105 on the Liberal Democracy Index, down from 100 last year. On component indices, India scores 106 on the Electoral Democracy Index, 99 on the liberal component, 138 on the egalitarian component, 83 on the participatory component, and 100 on the deliberative component.
The report observes that South and Central Asia remain far below global averages in democratic standards. While the continent’s overall scores appear relatively stable, the average citizen is experiencing the most severe autocratisation, with 2025 scores comparable to 1976. India, as the region’s most populous country, is a major contributor to this decline, alongside Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
In South and Central Asia, only 2% of people enjoy electoral democracy, concentrated in Nepal and Sri Lanka. Three “grey zone” democracies—Bhutan, Mongolia, and the Maldives—host a negligible population proportion. A vast majority, 85%, live under electoral autocracies such as India, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan, while closed autocracies like Afghanistan and Turkmenistan account for 13% of the population. Bangladesh fell into the closed autocracy category in 2025.
Sri Lanka is the only country showing signs of democratisation in the region, while India is one of four nations identified as autocratising, alongside Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan. The report traces India’s autocratisation to 2009, describing it as a slow but systematic erosion of democratic institutions.
Key factors cited include:
The V-Dem report also notes a global decline in press freedom, with 44 countries showing reductions in freedom of expression in 2025 and 32 nations (73%) using media censorship as a tool of autocratisation. India, along with the US, is among countries where societal engagement indicators are deteriorating, and the breadth of government consultation is shrinking.
Globally, the average citizen’s experience of democracy has fallen to 1978 levels. Western Europe and North America are also witnessing their lowest democratic levels in over 50 years, largely due to autocratisation in the US. Repression of civil society has surged in 30 autocratising countries, while 10 new autocratisers, including the United Kingdom, were identified in 2025.
The report underscores that the gains of the “third wave of democratization” beginning in 1974 are being nearly erased, as electoral autocracies increasingly dominate the global political landscape.