Morocco retained its position as the highest ranked Arab country in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2024, placing 91st globally with a score of 4.97 and remaining in the “hybrid regime” category, ahead of Tunisia in 93rd place with 4.71 points and Algeria in 110th with 3.55 points, according to the London based research unit’s latest report.
The EIU said the 2024 index reflected a broader deterioration in global democratic performance, with the world average score falling to 5.17 from 5.23 in 2023, its lowest level since the index began in 2006. It said 45 percent of the world’s population now lives in a democracy, while 39 percent lives under authoritarian rule and 15 percent under hybrid regimes.
Within the global rankings, Norway remained the world’s strongest democracy with a score of 9.81, followed by New Zealand on 9.61, while Denmark ranked seventh on 9.28.
The country table reviewed in the report showed Morocco gaining two places from the previous year, while Tunisia fell 11 places, underlining a sharper setback for Tunis than for Rabat in the latest edition. Algeria, by contrast, remained in the authoritarian category, reflecting the wider democratic weakness across much of North Africa and the Middle East.
The index measures 167 countries and territories across five categories: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties. Countries are then classified as full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes or authoritarian regimes.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.