In the most recent report on the state of world democracy, prepared by the English weekly The Economist, Chile experienced a significant setback. According to the 2023 survey, which evaluates 165 independent states and two territories using a scale of zero to 10, the country dropped six points, ranking 25th on the list with a score of 7.98.
This decline led to Chile being relegated from the category of “full democracy” to “defective democracy”, sharing the latter status with Paraguay, both of which are the only ones in the region to undergo such a change in classification since the 2021 report. According to the publication, this change was due to a growing preference for a “government of experts,” as reflected in the latest survey data.
The aspects evaluated reveal that Chile obtained a score of 9.58 in electoral process and pluralism, 8.21 in government functioning, 6.11 in political participation, 6.88 in political culture and 9.12 in civil liberties.
Within the region, Uruguay leads with the highest rating of 8.66, followed by Costa Rica with 8.29, while Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Panama rank below. On the other hand, El Salvador experienced the largest decrease in the region due to—according to The Economist— “an increasingly authoritarian government and the unconstitutional attempt at re-election of President Nayib Bukele.”
Paraguay, on the other hand, improved its score, rising from “hybrid regime” to “defective democracy” thanks to the increase in female representation in Congress after the 2023 general elections.
At the regional level, Latin America and the Caribbean recorded its eighth consecutive decline in the average score, reaching 5.68, although it remains the third most democratic region in the world, after North America and Western Europe. Despite having strong scores in electoral process and pluralism, political participation and civil liberties, the region faces challenges in terms of political culture and government functioning.
At a global level, the report indicates an increase in the number of countries classified as democracies, reaching 74 states. However, it warns that the year 2023 was not auspicious for democracy, with a decrease in the global average score of the index, being the new minimum since 2006. This decline is especially observed in authoritarian and hybrid regimes, while full democracies and defectives suffered smaller reductions.
The report suggests a strengthening of non-democratic regimes and a challenge for hybrid regimes on their path to democratization. With 45.4% of the world’s population living under some form of democracy, the importance of addressing these challenges to preserve and strengthen democracy globally is evident.
It is worth mentioning that, in December of last year, the English media highlighted Chile as an example of stability and economic performance in an unpredictable world scenario. He valued its ability to keep inflation under control, a stable labor market and notable GDP growth, in a year of difficulties for other countries.