Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: TH
Context: India, downgraded to an “electoral autocracy” in 2018, has further declined to become “one of the worst autocracies,” according to the ‘Democracy Report 2024’ by the V-Dem Institute.
About the Report:
| Aspect | Details |
| Released by | V-Dem Institute at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg |
| Data Collection | A collaborative effort involving 4,200 scholars from 180 countries |
| Scope | Spans 1789 to 2023, covering 202 countries |
| Regime Types | Classified into four categories using the Liberal Democratic Index (LDI) |
| Four types are: Liberal Democracy, Electoral Democracy, Electoral Autocracy, and Closed Autocracy | |
| Key Findings | India ranks 104 in LDI, slipped to 110 in the Electoral Democracy Index, 92 in the Liberal Component Index |
| The report highlighted deteriorating components of democracy, such as freedom of expression, clean elections, media independence, and civil society participation | |
| Global Trend | 42 countries and about 3 billion people affected by increasing autocratization |
| Regional Impact | South and Central Asia second most autocratic region globally, Bhutan sole liberal democracy |
| Component Indices | V-Dem LDI combines indicators from the Liberal Component Index (LCI) and Electoral Democracy Index (EDI) |
| EDI Measures fairness of elections, freedom of expression, information, association, and suffrage | |
| LCI Emphasizes the protection of individual and minority rights against state oppression and majority rule |
