Half of the world's democracies are in decline, says report 

Half of the world’s democracies are declining and will continue to do so as people continue to lose trust in the legitimacy of elections and freedom of expression is being stymied, an international think tank said in a new report on Wednesday. 

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, known as International IDEA, said in its annual Global Report on the State of Democracy that the decline in democracy comes as leaders around the world “face unprecedented challenges from Russia’s war in Ukraine, cost of living crisis, a looming global recession and climate change.”

"We're seeing extraordinarily severe headwinds for democracy now, intensified by the political fallout from the economic crisis that started with the pandemic and the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine", International IDEA secretary-general Kevin Casas-Zamora told AFP.

"It might be that the credibility of elections is challenged. It might be that the rule of law is under assault. It might be that civic space is being constrained", he explained.

Out of the 173 countries covered by the 64-page report, 104 were classified as democracies and 52 of those were in decline. The number of democracies with the “most severe democratic erosion,” meaning that they are losing their democracy, increased from six to seven in the past year, with El Salvador being added to the list. 

The Stockholm-based think tank added that the number of countries moving towards authoritarianism is more than double than those moving towards democracy. Authoritarianism is gaining way in countries such as Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Belarus, and Cambodia. 

Additionally, authoritarian regimes around the world are deepening their repression, with 2021 being the worst year on record. 

"Democratic systems have really wobbled over the past couple of decades and it quite clearly has become a burning issue in our age", Casas-Zamora said.