EIU classified India as ‘Flawed Democracy’, India slips 2 positions to 53rd spot

The Economist Intelligence Unit, which provides a snapshot of the state of democracy worldwide, recently released its 2020 Democracy Index’s global ranking, and India has slipped two places to 53rd position. India was ranked 51st in the 2019 Democracy Index. The report said that the ‘democratic backsliding’ by authorities and ‘crackdowns’ on civil liberties has led to a further decline in the country’s ranking.

India's overall score fell from 6.9 in 2019 to 6.61 in the Index that provides a snapshot of the current state of democracy worldwide for 167 countries.

Out of 167 countries, the Democracy Index classifies 23 countries as full democracies, 52 as flawed democracies, 35 as hybrid regimes and 57 as authoritarian regimes.

Norway topped The Economist Intelligence Unit's latest Democracy Index report titled "Democracy in sickness and in health?", with Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada making up the top five.

India has been classified as a 'flawed democracy' along with countries such as the US, France, Belgium and Brazil. The EIU report said that in India and Thailand, "democratic backsliding by the authorities and crackdowns on civil liberties led to a further decline in their global rankings".

It further alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government has "introduced a religious element to the conceptualisation of Indian citizenship, a step that many critics see as undermining the secular basis of the Indian state".

Among India's neighbours, while Sri Lanka, at 68th rank, is classified as a flawed democracy, Bangladesh (76), Bhutan (84) and Pakistan (105) are classified in the 'hybrid regime' category. Afghanistan is ranked 139th and classified as an 'authoritarian regime' in the index.`

“With mounting pressure on India’s democratic norms, India’s score fell from a peak of 7.92 in 2014 to 6.61 in 2020 and its global ranking slipped from 27th (in 2014) to 53rd as a result of democratic backsliding” under the current regime, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said.

India was ranked 51st in the 2019 Democracy Index.