Democracy in Latin America and the
June 15, 2020
Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices
Carla Y. Davis-Castro
This report provides a regional snapshot of the political climate in Latin America and the Research Librarian
Caribbean, based on the U.S. Department of State’s description of each country’s

political system and selected nongovernmental indices that measure democracy trends
worldwide. Using tables and graphs to il ustrate regional trends, this report provides a

snapshot of democracy indicators from the following sources: (1) the U.S. Department
of State’s 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices; (2) Bertelsmann Stiftung’s 2018 Bertelsmann
Transformation Index (BTI); (3) the Economist Intel igence Unit’s (EIU’s) Democracy Index 2018; (4) Freedom
House’s Freedom in the World 2019; and (5) the Varieties of Democracy Institute’s (V-DEM’s) Liberal
Democracy Index in its Democracy Report 2019. Additional resources appear at the end of the report.
Congressional Research Service

Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices

Introduction
The current trajectory of democracy around the world is an issue of interest for Congress, which
has contributed to U.S. democracy promotion objectives overseas. For decades, U.S. policy has
broadly reflected the view that the spread of democracy around the world is favorable to U.S.
interests. This report provides a regional snapshot of the political climate in Latin America and
the Caribbean, based on the U.S. Department of State’s description of each country’s political
system and selected nongovernmental (NGO) indices that measure democracy trends worldwide.
For additional information on democracy in the global context, see CRS Report R45344, Global
Trends in Democracy: Background, U.S. Policy, and Issues for Congress, by Michael A. Weber.
For related information about democracy in Latin American and the Caribbean, see the following
products:
 CRS Report R46258, Latin America and the Caribbean: U.S. Policy and Issues
in the 116th Congress, coordinated by Mark P. Sullivan
 CRS In Focus IF10460, Latin America and the Caribbean: U.S. Policy Overview,
by Mark P. Sullivan;
 CRS Report R45547, U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the
Caribbean: FY2019 Appropriations, by Peter J. Meyer and Edward Y. Gracia;
 CRS Report 98-684, Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders
and Elections, by Carla Y. Davis-Castro; and
 CRS Report R45733, Combating Corruption in Latin America: Congressional
Considerations, coordinated by June S. Beittel.
CRS also publishes reports on specific Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Source Notes
This report compiles information from the U.S. State Department and data from four
nongovernmental (NGO) indices. For a discussion about definitions of democracy and critiques
of democracy indices, see CRS Report R45344, Global Trends in Democracy: Background, U.S.
Policy, and Issues for Congress, by Michael A. Weber. CRS does not endorse the methodology or
accuracy of any particular democracy index.
In parentheses following the country name in the tables below is the nature of the country’s
political system, as described in the U.S. State Department’s 2019 Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices.1 While the publication focuses broadly on human rights conditions in each
country, the first sentence of each country report provides a characterization of the country’s
political system. This U.S. government information is included here for comparison with findings
from the democracy indicators published by NGOs.
Bertelsmann Stiftung, a private foundation based in Germany, has published the Bertelsmann
Transformation Index (BTI) biannual y since 2006. Key regional findings and country reports are
available in English (BTI publishes the full regional report in German). BTI 2020 evaluates the
quality of democracy, a market economy, and political management in 137 developing and

1 U.S. Department of State, 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights,
and Labor, March 11, 2020, at https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/
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Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices

transition countries. For political transformation specifical y, BTI ranks countries using 18
indicators grouped into five criteria: (1) stateness, (2) political participation, (3) rule of law, (4)
stability of democratic institutions, and (5) political and social integration.2 Based on the criteria,
BTI assigns a category: democracy in consolidation, defective democracy, highly defective
democracy, moderate autocracy, and hardline autocracy. In its global report, BTI notes “in some
Latin American countries, the degree to which autocratic alternatives are clearly rejected has
diminished significantly. Strong declines in the scores assessing approval of democracy, though at
different levels, can be seen in countries such as Brazil (-3), Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic,
Jamaica and Panama (each -2)” but the report also highlights the opposite: “two Latin American
countries have shown that the path of backsliding is just as reversible as that of progressive
democratization,” in reference to Ecuador and Colombia. 3 BTI evaluates al Central and South
American nations. With the exception of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad and
Tobago, and Jamaica, BTI does not evaluate Caribbean nations.
The Economist Intel igence Unit (EIU), based in London and New York, has offices and analysts
in various countries. Since 2006, EIU has produced a democracy index that provides an annual
snapshot of the state of democracy for 165 independent states and two territories.4 The EIU
classifies countries as full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, or authoritarian
regimes based on an aggregate score of 60 indicators in five categories: (1) electoral process and
pluralism, (2) civil liberties, (3) the functioning of government, (4) political participation, and (5)
political culture. According to the EIU’s Democracy Index 2019, the Latin America and
Caribbean region’s overal score went down for the fourth year in a row from 6.24 in 2018 to 6.13
in 2019 (on a 0 to 10 scale).5 The three countries in the region classified in 2019 as full
democracies are Uruguay, Costa Rica, and, new to the group, Chile. EIU’s Democracy Index
2019 identified three countries in the region as authoritarian regimes: Nicaragua, Venezuela, and
Cuba.6 EIU evaluates al Central and South American nations. With the exceptions of Cuba, the
Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, EIU does not
evaluate Caribbean nations.
Freedom House is a U.S.-based NGO that conducts research on democracy, political freedom,
and human rights worldwide. It has published Freedom in the World since 1978, and the current
report covers 195 countries and 15 territories. Freedom House assigns each country 0 to 4 points
on 25 indicators (10 political rights indicators and 15 civil liberties indicators) for a total of up to
100 points. The scores determine numerical ratings for political rights and civil liberties freedoms
on a scale of 1 (most free) to 7 (least free). The political rights and civil liberties ratings are
averaged to produce an overal status of free, partly free, or not free. Freedom House’s report
covering 2019 found that “acute political and governance crises also affected the region during
the year, leading two countries [Peru and Haiti] to decline in the Freedom in the World indicator
pertaining to representative rule.”7 Venezuela continued to deteriorate while El Salvador,

2 Bertelsmann Stiftung, “Methodology,” accessed November 18, 2019, available at https://www.bti-project.org/en/
about/project/methodology/.
3 Sabine Donner, BTI 2020: Resistance to democratic regression and authoritarian rule is growing Global Findings
Dem ocracy, Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2020, at https://www.bti-project.org/content/en/reports/global-report-
d/global_findings_democracy_2020_EN.pdf.
4 T he Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) did not produce a democracy index report covering 2007 or 2009.
5 EIU, Democracy Index 2019: A year of democratic setbacks and popular protest, 2020, available at
https://www.eiu.com/topic/democracy-index, p. 33.
6 Ibid.
7 Sarah Repucci, Freedom in the World 2020: A Leaderless Struggle for Democracy, Freedom House, 2020, at
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Guatemala and Honduras “suffered score declines for the year, though the specific reasons
varied.”8 The top 10 countries with democratic declines included Bolivia, Chile, Haiti and
Venezuela while the top 10 countries with democratic declines over the last decade include
Venezuela, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.9 The report’s analysis is based on data that
are detailed in full on the Freedom House’s report web page both for current and past reports.10
Freedom House’s webpage “Countries,” lists the current freedom scores of al countries.11
Freedom House evaluates democracy in al Central and South American and Caribbean nations.
The Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-DEM), headquartered at the University of Gothenburg in
Sweden, collects democracy data through its research team in collaboration with country experts.
In 2017, V-Dem published its first global report measuring the status of democracy with an index.
Democracy Report 2020 includes the Liberal Democracy Index, which examines 71 indicators
included in the Liberal Component Index and the Electoral Democracy Index.12 For 2019, V-Dem
groups 179 countries into four categories: liberal democracy, electoral democracy, electoral
autocracy, and closed autocracy. The current report notes that “by the population-weighted
measure, Latin America has been thrown back to a level of democracy last recorded around 1992”
yet three quarters of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean “stil qualify as
democratic.”13 V-DEM evaluates al Central and South American nations. With the exceptions of
Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and
Tobago, V-DEM does not evaluate Caribbean nations.
Table 1 looks at Caribbean countries’ global democracy rankings according to EIU’s Democracy
Index 2019, Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2020, V-Dem’s Democracy Report 2020,
and Bertelsmann Stiftung’s 2020 Transformation Index. Table 2 compares the same reports for
Mexico and Central America, as does Table 3 for South America. Each report evaluates a
different number of countries, so there are missing rankings for some countries. Countries are
listed alphabetical y in each table.

https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/FIW_2020_REPORT_BOOKLET_Final.pdf
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Freedom House, “Freedom in the World 2020: A Leaderless Struggle for Democracy,” accessed June 1, 2020, at
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2020/leaderless-struggle-democracy
11 Freedom House, “Countries and T erritories,” accessed June 1, 2020, at https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-
world/scores?sort=desc&order=T otal%20Score%20and%20Status.
12 Varieties of Democracy Institute, Democracy Report 2020: Autocratization Surges – Resistance Grows, March 2020,
at https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/f0/5d/f05d46d8-626f-4b20-8e4e-
53d4b134bfcb/democracy_report_2020_low.pdf.
13 Ibid.
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Table 1. Caribbean: 2019 Democracy Rankings
Bertelsmann Stiftung
Transformation Index
EIU Democracy Index
Freedom House
V-Dem Democracy Report

2020
2019
Freedom in the World 2020
2020
Country
Political
(U.S. State
Transfor-
Dept. political
mation
Political
Civil
Liberal
system
Global
Status
Global
Regime
Aggregate
Rights
Liberties
Freedom
Democracy
Regime
description)
Rank
Indexa
Rankb
Typec
Scored
Score
Score
Statuse
Index Rank
Typef
Antigua &
Barbuda
(parliamentary
—
—
—
—
85
2
2
Free
—
—
multiparty
democracy)
Bahamas
(constitutional
—
—
—
—
91
1
1
Free
—
—
parliamentary
democracy)
Barbados
(parliamentary
(-) Liberal
multiparty
—
—
—
—
95
1
1
Free
29
democracy
democracy)
Belize
(constitutional
parliamentary
—
—
—
—
86
2
2
Free
—
—
democracy)
Cuba
Hardline
Closed
(authoritarian
110
autocracy
143
Authoritarian
14
7
6
Not free
159
autocracy
state)
Dominica
(parliamentary
multiparty
—
—
—
—
93
1
1
Free
—
—
democracy)
CRS-4

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Bertelsmann Stiftung
Transformation Index
EIU Democracy Index
Freedom House
V-Dem Democracy Report

2020
2019
Freedom in the World 2020
2020
Country
Political
(U.S. State
Transfor-
Dept. political
mation
Political
Civil
Liberal
system
Global
Status
Global
Regime
Aggregate
Rights
Liberties
Freedom
Democracy
Regime
description)
Rank
Indexa
Rankb
Typec
Scored
Score
Score
Statuse
Index Rank
Typef
St. Lucia
(parliamentary
multiparty
—
—
—
—
92
1
1
Free
—
—
democracy)
St. Vincent
and the
Grenadines
—
—
—
—
91
1
1
Free
—
—
(parliamentary
multiparty
democracy)
Suriname
(constitutional
Flawed
Electoral
—
—
49
democracy)
democracy
75
2
3
Free
55
democracy
Trinidad &
Tobago
Democracy in
Flawed
(-) Liberal
(parliamentary
13
consolidation
43=
democracy
82
2
2
Free
43
democracy
democracy)
Source: Compiled by CRS using the U.S. State Department’s 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Bertelsmann Stiftung’s 2020 Transformation Index, EIU’s
Democracy Index 2019, Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2020, and the Varieties of Democracy Institute’s Democracy Report 2020.
Notes: Although Belize is located in Central America and Guyana and Suriname are located in South America, al three are members of the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM).
a. BTI classifies a country as an autocracy if one of seven political transformation indicators fal s short of the relevant threshold. BTI consid ers failing states autocracies.
b. The symbol “=” indicates a tying score or equal rank with another country.
c. Definitions from EIU: Ful democracies are countries where the “functioning of government is satisfactory. Media are independent and diverse.... effective checks and
balances.... judiciary is independent and judicial decisions are enforced.... only limited problems.” Flawed democracies have “free and fair elections ... basic civil
liberties are respected. However, there are significant weaknesses in other aspects of democracy, including problems in governance, an underdeveloped political
culture and low levels of political participation.” Hybrid regimes have “substantial election irregularities.... government pressure on opposition parties and
CRS-6

candidates.... corruption tends to be widespread and the rule of law is weak. Civil society is weak.... and the judiciary is not independent.” In authoritarian regimes,
“state political pluralism is absent or heavily circumscribed.... some formal institutions of democracy may exist, but these have little substance.... elections ... are not
free and fair.... disregard for abuses and infringements of civil liberties.... repression of criticism of the government and pervasive censorship. There is no
independent judiciary.”
d. Freedom House assigns each country 0 to 4 points on 25 indicators (10 political rights indicators and 15 civil liberties indicators) for a total of up to 100 points.
e. Freedom House assigns each country a rating for political rights and one for civil liberties, where 1 represents the greatest degree of freedom and 7 the smal est
degree of freedom. The average of a country’s political rights and civil liberties ratings determines the status of free (1.0 to 2.5), partly free (3.0 to 5.0), or not free
(5.5 to 7.0).
f.
The symbol (-) indicates that, taking uncertainty into account, the country could belong to the lower category while (+) signifies that the country could belong to the
higher category.
CRS-7

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Table 2. Mexico and Central America: 2019 Democracy Rankings
Bertelsmann Stiftung
EIU Democracy Index
Freedom House
V-Dem Democracy

Transformation Index 2020
2019
Freedom in the World 2020
Report 2020
Country
(U.S. State
Political
Dept. political
Transfor-
Political
Civil
Liberal
system
mation
Global
Regime
Aggregate
Rights
Liberties
Freedom
Democracy
Regime
description)
Global Rank
Status Indexa
Rank
Typeb
Scorec
Score
Score
Statusd
Index Rank
Typee
Costa Rica
(constitutional
8
Democracy in
19
Ful
91
1
1
Free
8
(-) Liberal
republic)
consolidation
democracy
democracy
El Salvador
(constitutional
Defective
Flawed
Electoral
multiparty
30
democracy
71=
democracy
66
2
4
Partly Free
76
democracy
republic)
Guatemala
(constitutional
93
Moderate
93
Hybrid
52
4
4
Partly free
86
Electoral
multiparty
autocracy
regime
democracy
republic)
Honduras
(constitutional
Moderate
Hybrid
Electoral
multiparty
83
autocracy
89=
regime
45
4
4
Partly free
129
autocracy
republic)
Mexico
(federal
Defective
Flawed
Electoral
multiparty
59
democracy
73
democracy
62
3
3
Partly free
68
democracy
republic)
Nicaraguaf
(constitutional
94
Moderate
122=
Authoritarian
31
6
5
Not free
170
Electoral
multiparty
autocracy
autocracy
republic)
CRS-8

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Bertelsmann Stiftung
EIU Democracy Index
Freedom House
V-Dem Democracy

Transformation Index 2020
2019
Freedom in the World 2020
Report 2020
Country
(U.S. State
Political
Dept. political
Transfor-
Political
Civil
Liberal
system
mation
Global
Regime
Aggregate
Rights
Liberties
Freedom
Democracy
Regime
description)
Global Rank
Status Indexa
Rank
Typeb
Scorec
Score
Score
Statusd
Index Rank
Typee
Panama
(constitutional
Defective
Flawed
Electoral
multiparty
35
democracy
46
democracy
84
1
2
Free
47
democracy
democracy)
Source: Compiled by CRS using the U.S. State Department’s 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Bertelsmann Stiftung’s 2020 Transformation Index, EIU’s
Democracy Index 2019, Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2020, and the Varieties of Democracy Institute’s Democracy Report 2020.
a. BTI classifies a country as an autocracy if one of seven political transformation indicators fal s short of the relevant threshold. BTI considers failing states autocracies.
b. Definitions from EIU: Ful democracies are countries where the “functioning of government is satisfactory. Media are independ ent and diverse.... effective checks and
balances.... judiciary is independent and judicial decisions are enforced.... only limited problems.” Flawed democracies have “free and fair elections . . basic civil
liberties are respected. However, there are significant weaknesses in other aspects of democracy, including problems in governance, an underdeveloped political
culture and low levels of political participation.” Hybrid regimes have “substantial election irregularities.... government pressure on opposition parties and
candidates.... corruption tends to be widespread and the rule of law is weak. Civil society is weak.... and the judiciary is not independent.” In authoritarian regimes,
“state political pluralism is absent or heavily circumscribed.... some formal institutions of democracy may exist, but these have little substance.... elections . . are not
free and fair.... disregard for abuses and infringements of civil liberties.... repression of criticism of the government and pervasive censorship. There is no
independent judiciary.”
c. Freedom House assigns each country 0 to 4 points on 25 indicators (10 political rights indicators and 15 civil liberties indicators) for a total of up to 100 points.
d. Freedom House assigns each country a rating for political rights and one for civil liberties where 1 represents the greatest degree of freedom and 7 the smal est
degree of freedom. The average of a country’s political rights and civil liberties ratings determines the status of free (1.0 to 2.5), partly free (3.0 to 5.0), or not free
(5.5 to 7.0).
e. The symbol (-) indicates that, taking uncertainty into account, the country could belong to the lower category while (+) signifies that the country could belong to the
higher category.
f.
“Constitutional multiparty republic” comes from the U.S. State Department’s 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nicaragua while the 2019 Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nicaragua states: “Nicaragua has a highly centralized, authoritarian political system dominated by President Daniel Ortega Saavedra
and his wife, Vice President Rosario Muril o Zambrana. Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) party exercises total control over the executive,
legislative, judicial, and electoral functions.”
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Table 3. South America: 2019 Democracy Rankings
Bertelsmann Stiftung
EIU Democracy Index
Freedom House
V-Dem Democracy Report

Transformation Index 2020
2019
Freedom in the World 2020
2020
Country
(U.S. State
Political
Dept. political
Transfor-
Political
Civil
Liberal
system
mation
Status
Global
Regime
Aggregate
Rights
Liberties
Freedom
Democracy
Regime
description)
Global Rank
Indexa
Rankb
Typec
Scored
Score
Score
Statuse
Index Rank
Typef
Argentina
(federal
Democracy in
Flawed
Electoral
constitutional
16
consolidation
48
democracy
85
2
2
Free
44
democracy
republic)
Bolivia
(+)
(constitutional
Defective
Hybrid
Electoral
multiparty
41
democracy
104
regime
63
3
3
Partly free
105
autocracy
republic)
Brazil
(constitutional
2
Defective
52
Flawed
75
2
2
Free
60
Electoral
multiparty
democracy
democracy
democracy
republic)
Chile
(constitutional
Democracy in
Ful
(-) Liberal
multiparty
6
consolidation
21
democracy
90
1

Free
2
democracy
democracy)
Colombia
(constitutional
Defective
Flawed
Electoral
multiparty
44
democracy
45
democracy
66
3
3
Partly free
62
democracy
republic)
Ecuador
(constitutional
30
Defective
67
Flawed
65
3
3
Partly free
63
Electoral
multiparty
democracy
democracy
democracy
republic)
CRS-10

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Bertelsmann Stiftung
EIU Democracy Index
Freedom House
V-Dem Democracy Report

Transformation Index 2020
2019
Freedom in the World 2020
2020
Country
(U.S. State
Political
Dept. political
Transfor-
Political
Civil
Liberal
system
mation
Status
Global
Regime
Aggregate
Rights
Liberties
Freedom
Democracy
Regime
description)
Global Rank
Indexa
Rankb
Typec
Scored
Score
Score
Statuse
Index Rank
Typef
Paraguay
(constitutional
Defective
Flawed
Electoral
multiparty
46
democracy
70
democracy
65
3
3
Partly free
80
democracy
republic)
Peru
(constitutional
49
Defective
58
Flawed
72
2
3
Free
40
Electoral
multiparty
democracy
democracy
democracy
republic)
Uruguay
(constitutional
1
Democracy in
15
Ful
98
1
1
Free
19
Liberal
republic)
consolidation
democracy
democracy
Venezuelag
(constitutional
Hardline
Electoral
multiparty
120
autocracy
140
Authoritarian
16
7
6
Not free
163
autocracy
republic)
Source: Compiled by CRS using the U.S. State Department’s 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Bertelsmann Stiftung’s 2020 Transformation Index, EIU’s
Democracy Index 2019, Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2020, and the Varieties of Democracy Institute’s Democracy Report 2020.
a. BTI classifies a country as an autocracy if one of seven political transformation indicators fal s short of the relevant threshold. BTI considers failing states autocracies.
b. The symbol “=” indicates a tying score or equal rank with another country.
c. Definitions from EIU: Ful democracies are countries where the “functioning of government is satisfactory. Media are independent and diverse. . effective ch ecks and
balances. . judiciary is independent and judicial decisions are enforced. . only limited problems.” Flawed democracies h ave “free and fair elections . . basic civil
liberties are respected. However, there are significant weaknesses in other aspects of democracy, including problems in governance, an underdeveloped political
culture and low levels of political participation.” Hybrid regimes have “substantial election irregularities. . government pressure on opposition parties and
candidates. . corruption tends to be widespread and the rule of law is weak. Civil society is weak. . and the judiciary is not independent.” In authoritarian regimes,
“state political pluralism is absent or heavily circumscribed. . some formal institutions of democracy may exist, but these have little substance. . elections . . are not
free and fair. . disregard for abuses and infringements of civil liberties. . repression of criticism of the government and pervasive censorship. There is no
independent judiciary.”
d. Freedom House assigns each country 0 to 4 points on 25 indicators (10 political rights indicators and 15 civil liberties indicators) for a total of up to 100 points.
CRS-11

e. Freedom House assigns each country a rating for political rights and one for civil liberties where 1 represents the greatest degree of freedom and 7 the smal est
degree of freedom. The average of a country’s political rights and civil liberties ratings determines the status of free (1.0 to 2.5), partly free (3.0 to 5.0), or not free
(5.5 to 7.0).
f.
The symbol (-) indicates that, taking uncertainty into account, the country could belong to the lower category while (+) sign ifies that the country could belong to the
higher category.
g. From U.S. State Department’s 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Venezuela: “Venezuela is formal y a multiparty, constitutional republic, but for more
than a decade, political power has been concentrated in a single party with an authoritarian executive exercising significant control over the judicial, citiz ens’ power
(which includes the prosecutor general and ombudsman), and electoral branches of government, and standing up a paral el, il egitimate legislative body alongside the
existing elected one. ”

CRS-12

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Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices

Figure 1 shows the global rank and classification of al Central and South American and
Caribbean countries according to the Political Transformation Rank, a component of the 2020
Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI).
Figure 1. BTI's 2020 Political Transformation Global Ranking of
Latin American and Caribbean Countries

Source: Created by CRS Graphics using Bertelsmann Stiftung’s 2020 Transformation Index. According to BTI’s
analysis, no Latin American or Caribbean countries fel into the category of highly defective democracies.

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Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices

Figure 2 shows the global rank and classification of Central and South American and Caribbean
countries according to the EIU’s Democracy Index 2019.
Figure 2. EIU Democracy Index 2019 Global Ranking for
Latin American and Caribbean Countries

Source: Created by CRS Graphics using EIU’s Democracy Index 2019.

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Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices

Figure 3 shows the aggregate scores of al Central and South American and Caribbean countries
according to the Freedom House country web page for Freedom in the World 2020. Countries
receive 0 to 4 points on 25 indicators (10 political rights indicators and 15 civil liberties
indicators) for a total of up to 100 points.
Figure 3. Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2020 Aggregate Scores for
Latin American and Caribbean Countries

Source: Created by CRS Graphics using Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2020.

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Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices

Figure 4 shows the political rights and civil liberties scores of al Central and South American
and Caribbean countries according to Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2020. The scale
used is 1-7, with 1 indicating the most free conditions and 7 the least free.
Figure 4. Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2020 Political Rights and Civil
Liberties Scores for Latin American and Caribbean Countries

Source: Created by CRS Graphics using Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2020.

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link to page 20

Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices

Figure 5 shows the liberal democracy index rank and classification of al Central and South
American and Caribbean countries according to the Varieties of Democracy Institute’s
Democracy Report 2020.
Figure 5. V-Dem Democracy Report 2020's Liberal Democracy Index Rank
for Latin American and Caribbean Countries

Source: Created by CRS Graphics using the Varieties of Democracy Institute’s Democracy Report 2020.

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link to page 21 Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices

Table 4 provides resources for further information about democracy indicators in Central and
South America and the Caribbean, although many cover other geographic areas as wel . The
sources are organized alphabetical y by title. This is not an exhaustive list.
Table 4. Resources for Democracy Indicators
Title
Organization
Resource Type
URL
Bertelsmann Stiftung's
Bertelsmann Stiftung
Political Transformation
https://www.bti-
2020 Transformation
Index ranks 137 countries
project.org/en/index/politi
Index
cal-transformation.html

Bertelsmann Stiftung
Governance Index ranks
https://www.bti-
137 countries
project.org/en/index/gove
rnance.html

Bertelsmann Stiftung
Regional report on over
https://www.bti-
20 Latin American and
project.org/content/en/re
the Caribbean countries
ports/regional-
reports/regional_report_
LAC_2020_EN.pdf

Bertelsmann Stiftung
Global report on 137
https://www.bti-
countries
project.org/content/en/re
ports/global-report-
d/global_findings_democr
acy_2020_EN.pdf
Democracy Report 2020
Varieties of Democracy
Report covers 202
https://www.v-
(V-Dem)
countries
dem.net/media/filer_publi
c/f0/5d/f05d46d8-626f-
4b20-8e4e-
53d4b134bfcb/democracy
_report_2020_low.pdf
Electoral Integrity
Electoral Integrity Project,
Report and data from
https://www.electoralinteg
Worldwide 2019
an independent academic
cumulative study covering
rityproject.com/the-year-
project based at Harvard
national presidential and
in-elections-2017
University and the
parliamentary elections
University of Sydney
from July 1, 2012 to
December 31, 2018
Freedom in the World 2020 Freedom House
Report
https://freedomhouse.org/
sites/default/files/2020-
02/FIW_2020_REPORT_
BOOKLET_Final.pdf

Freedom House
Map
https://freedomhouse.org/
explore-the-
map?type=fiw&year=2020

Freedom House
Country ranking list
https://freedomhouse.org/
countries/freedom-
world/scores
Global State of
International Institute for
Interactive map looks at
https://www.idea.int/gsod-
Democracy Indices
Democracy and Electoral
97 indicators for 158
indices/#/indices/world-
Assistance’s (International
countries from 1975-2018 map
IDEA) Global State of
Democracy Initiative
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Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Compilation of Selected Indices

Global State of Democracy
International Institute for
Report looks at global
https://www.idea.int/sites/
2019
Democracy and Electoral
trends in democracy
default/files/publications/t
Assistance
1975-2015 across 158
he-global-state-of-
countries
democracy-2019.pdf
Rule of Law Index 2020
World Justice Project
Report measures how the https://worldjusticeproject
rule of law is experienced
.org/sites/default/files/doc
and perceived in 128
uments/WJP-ROLI-2020-
countries and jurisdictions
Online_0.pdf

World Justice Project
Interactive map and data
https://www.worldjusticep
tables cover 128
roject.org/rule-of-law-
countries and jurisdictions
index/
Mexico States Rule of Law
World Justice Project
A report on the
https://worldjusticeproject
Index 2019-2020
adherence to the rule of
.org/sites/default/files/doc
law in Mexico's 32 states
uments/MSI-eng-2.pdf
(also available in Spanish)
Worldwide Governance
World Bank
Data on 43 indicators of
https://info.worldbank.org
Indicators
governance for 200+
/governance/wgi/
countries from 1996-
2018; in particular, see
Voice and Accountability
indicator
Source: Compiled by the Congressional Research Service.

Author Information

Carla Y. Davis-Castro

Research Librarian

Disclaimer
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Congressional Research Service
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