……showing where democracy stands in 173 countries
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) has launched its Democracy Tracker, an interactive, monthly updated online tool monitoring democracy and human rights in 173 countries around the world.
Based on International IDEA’s comprehensive Global State of Democracy (GSoD) framework, the new Democracy Tracker site provides the definitive overview of the factors influencing elected government, free expression, gender equality, anti-corruption, and other barometers of thriving democratic societies.
“This platform comes at a crucial time when global democracy is under threat on myriad fronts,” said Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General of International IDEA. “Democracy Tracker will help academics, policy makers, activists, journalists and citizens follow how democracy is doing all over the world, in real time. The global state of democracy will become easier to understand and, most importantly, open for all to see.”
Visitors to idea.int/democracytracker can browse a unique grid that showcases upward, static or downward trends in featured countries on a monthly basis, as gauged by International IDEA’s Democracy Assessment (DA) team.
Nations where the DA team’s data show positive political, social, and/or judicial developments per month—such as legal recognition for same-sex couples in South Korea or the expansion of reproductive and transgender rights in Spain—are designated with green icons.
Reflecting the myriad challenges facing free societies in 2023, other nations are labeled with red icons where the DA team’s data indicate setbacks or reversals that month—from the repression of fundamental rights in Belarus and Saudi Arabia to the deprivation of nationality of 222 political prisoners expelled from Nicaragua.
“The Democracy Tracker is the only policy-oriented tool that covers such a wide range of countries on such a frequent basis,” said Seema Shah, Head of Democracy Assessment at International IDEA. “We believe that it is an important resource for policymakers, donors, civil society and others who are making strategic decisions about where to direct their democracy support.”
The interactive site is updated monthly, drawing from local and international news sources, reporting from NGOs and UN agencies, International IDEA’s field-based experts and other local observers. Visitors to the site can also learn more about each country’s electoral system, the ratification status of human rights treaties, and other background information.
Democracy Tracker will be showcased 27 April at an event at International IDEA’s headquarters in Stockholm. The event will stream online as well via International IDEA’s website.
Democracy Tracker is generously funded by the European Union, the Bosch Foundation and BMZ. It is a part of International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy Initiative, which annually produces International IDEA’s flagship Global State of Democracy report. The most recent report, published in November 2022, featured the theme “Forging Social Contracts in a Time of Discontent.”
