Contents

• Introduction
• Democracy Indices and Source Notes
• Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI)
• Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)'s Democracy Index
• Freedom House's Freedom in the World
• Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem)'s Liberal Democracy Index
• Compilation of Democracy Indicators
• Selected Resources

Summary

This report provides a regional snapshot of the state of democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean, based on selected nongovernmental indices that measure democracy worldwide. Using tables and graphs to illustrate regional trends, this report provides a snapshot of democracy indicators from the following sources: (1) Bertelsmann Stiftung's 2024 Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI); (2) the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU's) Democracy Index 2024; (3) Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2025; and (4) the Varieties of Democracy Institute's (V-Dem's) Liberal Democracy Index in its Democracy Report 2025. Additional resources appear at the end of the report.

Introduction

For decades, U.S. policy has broadly reflected the view that the spread of democracy around the world is favorable to U.S. interests. The current trajectory of democracy around the world is an issue of interest for Congress, which has generally supported U.S. democracy promotion efforts. This report provides a regional snapshot of the state of democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean based on selected nongovernmental organizations' (NGOs') indices that measure democracy worldwide.

For additional information on democracy in the global context, see the following products:

• CRS Report R47890, Democracy and Human Rights in U.S. Foreign Policy: Evolution, Tools, and Considerations for Congress, by Michael A. Weber.
• CRS In Focus IF10795, Global Human Rights: The Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, by Michael A. Weber.
• [Archived] 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 R48266, U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2025 Appropriations, by Peter J. Meyer.
• CRS Report 98-684, Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections, by Carla Y. Davis-Castro.

CRS also publishes reports on specific Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Democracy Indices and Source Notes

This report compiles information from the U.S. Department of State and data from the most recent findings of four NGOs' democracy indices, which are each discussed briefly below. Findings from these indices cover developments during calendar year 2024 or earlier and do not reflect more recent events. CRS does not endorse the methodology or accuracy of any particular democracy index. Findings and scores for particular countries may vary across indices for a variety of reasons, including differing coverage periods, methodologies, and subjective expert assessments. (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.)

The following indices are discussed below: (1) Bertelsmann Stiftung's 2024 Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI); (2) the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU's) Democracy Index 2024; (3) Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2025; and (4) the Varieties of Democracy Institute's (V-DEM's) Liberal Democracy Index in its Democracy Report 2025.

Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI)

Bertelsmann Stiftung, a private foundation based in Germany, has published the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) biannually since 2006. BTI 2024, which reviews the period of February 2021 through January 2023, includes global, regional and country reports that evaluate the state of democracy, the economy, and governance in 137 developing and transition countries. The BTI ranks these countries' political transformation using five criteria: (1) stateness, (2) political participation, (3) rule of law, (4) stability of democratic institutions, and (5) political and social integration.¹ The political transformation criteria also determine each country's classification: democracy in consolidation, defective democracy, highly defective democracy, moderate autocracy, or hardline autocracy.² BTI evaluates all Central and South American nations except for Belize, Guyana, and Suriname. Among Caribbean nations, BTI evaluates Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica.

In its 2024 regional report, BTI finds that "the ongoing political unrest in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean is reflected in the continuing downward drift in the quality of democracy."⁴ The report adds that despite the measured progress of Honduras and the Dominican Republic, "the BTI 2024 observation period proved to be the most autocratic in the region to date," naming El Salvador as the most "significant autocratization."⁵ In its global report, BTI highlights harsher political climates in the region, with "many countries employing a more confrontational style" as well as "creeping state dysfunctionality drawn out over many years" in Mexico and Peru.⁶ On the other hand, the regional report also notes that Latin America and the Caribbean are still home to 16 democracies.⁷

Figure 1 shows the global rank and classification of all Central and South American and Caribbean countries according to the Political Transformation Rank, a component of the 2024 Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI).

Figure 1. BTI's 2024 Political Transformation Global Ranking of Latin American and Caribbean Countries

Source: Created by CRS using Bertelsmann Stiftung's 2024 Transformation Index.

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)'s Democracy Index

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), based in London and New York, has produced a democracy index since 2006.⁸ The most recent report provides an annual snapshot of the state of democracy for 165 independent states and two territories.⁹ 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.¹⁰ EIU evaluates Mexico and all Central and South American nations. With respect to the Caribbean, EIU looks at Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

According to the EIU's Democracy Index 2024, covering calendar year 2024, the Latin America and Caribbean region's overall score declined from 5.68 in 2023 (on a 0 to 10 scale) to 5.61 in 2024, described as the "ninth consecutive year of democratic backsliding in the region."¹² According to EIU, of the 24 countries evaluated, "17 registered a decline in their score in 2024, five improved their scores and two countries recorded no change."¹³ EIU reports that Jamaica, Colombia, and Brazil "experienced the biggest reversals this year, while the Dominican Republic and Mexico made the biggest improvement."¹⁴ In 2024, two countries in the region were classified as full democracies (Costa Rica and Uruguay), while four countries in the region were identified as authoritarian regimes (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela).¹⁵ The report notes one classification changes with Paraguay downgraded from "flawed democracy" to "hybrid regime."¹⁶

Figure 2 shows the global rank and classification of Central and South American and Caribbean countries according to the EIU's Democracy Index 2024.

Figure 2. EIU's Democracy Index 2024 Global Ranking for Latin American and Caribbean Countries

Source: Created by CRS using EIU's Democracy Index 2024.

Freedom House's Freedom in the World

Freedom House is a U.S.-based NGO that conducts research on democracy, political freedom, and human rights worldwide. It has published a global report on political rights and civil liberties, now called Freedom in the World, annually since 1972.¹⁷ The 2025 report, which covers calendar year 2024, measures 195 countries and 13 territories, including all Latin American and Caribbean countries.¹⁸ Freedom House assigns each country 0 to 4 points on 25 different indicators—10 indicators for political rights and 15 indicators for civil liberties—for a total of up to 100 points. The calculation equally weights a country's aggregate political rights and civil liberties scores to determine whether the country has an overall status of free, partly free, or not free.¹⁹ The report's analysis is based on data that are detailed in full on the Freedom House's website.²⁰ The website also lists the current freedom scores with a detailed profile for each assessed country.²¹

Freedom House classified 22 out of 35 countries in the region as "free" in 2024.²³ The report section titled "Americas" covers all countries in the Western Hemisphere and highlighted that "[12] out of 35 countries recorded overall score declines, while only 7 registered improvements."²⁴ According to the report, Haiti and El Salvador tied for the year's largest score declines in the region and ranked among the top four largest score declines in the world.²⁵ On the other hand, Freedom House determined that Guatemala "experienced the region's largest score improvement."²⁶ Figure 3 shows the aggregate scores of all Central and South American and Caribbean countries according to the relevant Freedom House country web pages for Freedom in the World 2025. The political rights scores and the civil liberties scores, which comprise the aggregate scores, can be found under the Freedom House heading for each country in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3.

Figure 3. Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2025 Aggregate Scores for Latin American and Caribbean Countries

Source: Created by CRS using Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2025.

Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem)'s Liberal Democracy Index

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. V-Dem's Democracy Report 2025 includes the Liberal Democracy Index (LDI), which is based on 71 indicators that capture liberal and electoral aspects of democracy.²⁷ V-Dem evaluates Mexico and all Central and South American nations. V-Dem evaluates a subset of Caribbean nations: Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The V-Dem 2025 report, covering calendar year 2024, grouped 179 countries into four categories: liberal democracy, electoral democracy, electoral autocracy, and closed autocracy.²⁹ The report stated that "most of the population in Latin America and The Caribbean – 64% – live in electoral democracies," with 4% of the population residing in liberal democracies, 6% in electoral autocracies, and 3% in closed autocracies.³⁰ The report described Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, and Honduras as "democratizing countries" and noted that the first three are "successfully reversing autocratization processes of the previous years."³¹ On the other hand, the report counts seven countries as "currently regressing: Argentina, El Salvador, Guyana, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru."³² On Mexico, the report stated that it "ranks as 'grey zone' electoral democracy (ED-) meaning that its status as a democracy is uncertain by the end of 2024."³³

Figure 4 shows the liberal democracy index rank and classification of all Central and South American and Caribbean countries according to the Varieties of Democracy Institute's Democracy Report 2025.

Figure 4. V-Dem's Democracy Report 2025's Liberal Democracy Index Rank for Latin American and Caribbean Countries

Source: Created by CRS using the Varieties of Democracy Institute's Democracy Report 2025.

Compilation of Democracy Indicators

Table 1, below, looks at Caribbean countries' global democracy rankings according to Bertelsmann Stiftung's 2024 Transformation Index, EIU's Democracy Index 2024, Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2025, and V-Dem's Democracy Report 2025. Table 2 compares the same reports for Mexico and Central America, as does Table 3 for South America. In each table, the country name is followed by parentheses with the nature of the country's political system, as described in the U.S. State Department's 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (the 2023 updated report does not include descriptions of country political systems).³⁴

Each index is based on a unique methodology and the rankings are not necessarily comparable. For more details on the methodologies, see "Democracy Indices and Source Notes" above. For term definitions of each index, see footnote 2 for BTI, footnote 10 for EIU, footnote 19 for Freedom House, and footnote 29 for V-Dem, or consult the full reports. Each report evaluates a different number of countries, so there are missing rankings for some countries. Countries are listed alphabetically in each table.

Selected Resources

Table 4 provides selected resources for further information about democracy indicators for Latin American and Caribbean nations, although many resources cover other geographic areas as well. The sources are organized alphabetically by authoring organization followed by the titles organized chronologically and then alphabetically. This is not an exhaustive list.

Summer intern Emi Marrujo assisted with the update of this report.

Footnotes