According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, among the 167 countries and territories covered, almost three quarters either improved from 2024 to 2025 or remained unchanged.
The UN's ECOSOC elected 19 states to the UN NGO Committee for 2027 to 2030. Freedom House rates only five as free, while eight are not free, raising concerns over authoritarian influence in the body.
In the new assessment, among 195 countries and 13 territories covered in the report, 89 were considered “free”, 52 “partly free” and 67 “not free” in 2025. Overall, 54 deteriorated and 35 improved.
Research across 33 countries shows that short online civic education videos can boost support for democracy, improve knowledge, and reduce openness to authoritarian alternatives.
V-Dem’s 2026 assessment finds that autocracies outnumber democracies by 92 to 87. With 44 countries worsening and 18 improving, the current wave of autocratization is continuing.
As great powers undermine global norms, small and medium states must unite to protect UN human rights bodies, defend scrutiny, and restore political will for principled multilateral action, this article argues.
A new index by Human Rights Foundation rates 179 countries as democratic, hybrid or authoritarian, using electoral competition, freedom of dissent, and institutional accountability for regime classification.
Transparency International’s 2025 corruption perceptions index shows a global average score of 42 of 100 and connects low ratings to restricted civic space in the countries concerned.
From Nepal to Kenya, young people challenge inequality and corrupt elites. Yet rising populism and repression blur what comes next amid rising demands for inclusion and accountability.
Oxfam, the World Inequality Report 2026 and a G20 panel warn that extreme wealth concentration is accelerating, increasing the risk of democratic erosion worldwide.
Two 2026 risk reports by the Global Challenges Foundation and the World Economic Forum highlight rising global threats, from planetary tipping points to geopolitical conflict.
Polling in 31 countries shows public support for international cooperation is slipping. Trust in global institutions depends on them delivering visible results, this piece argues.
