Pakistan’s democracy ranking drops amid political chaos: report

The latest Democracy Index from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) reported that Pakistan's democracy ranking fell from 3.25 in 2023 to 2.84 in 2024 amid political chaos marked by election upheavals.

The global democracy rankings report, published on Wednesday, highlights that Pakistan experienced violence both before and on Election Day, February 8, 2024.

The EIU stated, “The most popular politician, Imran Khan, whose own democratic credentials are questionable, was jailed shortly before the election took place.”

The EIU Democracy Index report underscored that global democracy is in its worst shape since the index was first introduced nearly two decades ago.

According to the report, Norway topped the list as the world’s most democratic country for the 16th consecutive year, scoring 9.81, followed by New Zealand and Sweden.

The United States' (US) score remained unchanged in 2024, and it continues to be classified as a “flawed democracy,” ranking 28th.

The report noted that France’s score fell just below the 8.00 threshold to qualify as a “full democracy” as a result of a decline in its score for the functioning of government. As a result, France was downgraded from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy” in 2024.

Following the tumultuous political events at the end of 2024, South Korea's score also dropped below the 8.00 threshold, losing its classification as a “full democracy.”

However, Portugal was upgraded to a “full democracy,” along with Estonia (for the first time) and the Czech Republic (for the first time since 2013). Estonia and the Czech Republic are now the only two Eastern European countries classified as “full democracies.”

Meanwhile, Afghanistan has remained the lowest-ranked nation since 2021, with a score of just 0.25. The most significant decline was seen in Bangladesh, which dropped 25 places.

According to the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), the 2024 general election in Pakistan recorded the highest voter turnout in the country’s history.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also raised concerns regarding the reliability and trustworthiness of the 2024 general election.