Global democracy slides back to 1978 levels

Mar 19, 2026 News

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— Guyana among “Grey Zone” states as authoritarian surge deepens

(Kaieteur News) – A major new global study has sounded the alarm on the state of democracy worldwide, warning that hard-won democratic gains have effectively been wiped out and Guyana is now classified in a fragile “grey zone” between full democracy and autocracy.

The V-Dem Institute’s Democracy Report 2026 paints a troubling picture: for the average global citizen, democracy has regressed to levels last seen in 1978, erasing decades of progress made since the so-called “third wave” of democratisation.

In a finding of direct relevance to the Caribbean, the report places Guyana among “grey zone” electoral democracies, meaning its classification as a democracy is not fully secure due to underlying weaknesses. While Guyana is still considered an electoral democracy, the report’s methodology indicates uncertainty about the strength of its democratic institutions, suggesting vulnerabilities in areas such as governance, political competition, or civil liberties.

Observers say for Guyana, the report serves as a cautionary signal. Being placed in the “grey zone” category suggests that while democratic structures exist, they may not be resilient enough to withstand sustained political pressure or institutional strain. With global trends moving sharply toward authoritarianism, analysts warn that small democracies must actively strengthen transparency, rule of law, and institutional independence to avoid slipping further.

Regionally, Latin America and the Caribbean remain the world’s second most democratic region, but troubling cracks are emerging. The report notes that only 5% of the region’s population lives in full liberal democracies, while a significant portion resides in weaker electoral systems or hybrid regimes. Guyana and Honduras are specifically highlighted as part of this “democratic grey zone,” underscoring the need for vigilance in safeguarding institutions.

Globally, the numbers are stark: 92 autocracies vs 87 democracies in 2025; 74% of the world’s population, about 6 billion people live under autocratic rule and only 7% live in full liberal democracies. This marks the second consecutive year that autocracies outnumber democracies, signaling what researchers describe as a sustained “third wave of autocratisation.”

Freedom of expression

The report identifies freedom of expression as the hardest-hit democratic pillar, with conditions deteriorating in 44 countries over the past decade.  Freedom of Expression, a core aspect of democracy, shows the most drastic global decline, and is the most common target among autocratising leaders over the past 25 years. Other worrying trends include: Media censorship, which is now the most common tactic used by governments, the report noted. The report also stated that civil society repression is rising sharply, election quality declining in more countries than improving and political torture increasing as a tool of suppression in 33 nations. These trends suggest that democratic erosion is not only spreading but also becoming more severe and systematic.

Meanwhile, the report underscored that the scale of democratic backsliding is unprecedented with 44 countries currently autocratising, up from just 12 in 2005 and 41% of the global population lives in countries actively becoming more authoritarian.  Moreover, even traditionally stable democracies are not immune with the report highlighting significant declines in Europe and North America, with multiple countries experiencing democratic erosion.

In one of the report’s most striking findings, the United States has lost its classification as a liberal democracy for the first time in over 50 years. The report points to: rapid concentration of executive power; weakening of legislative oversight and declining civil liberties and media freedoms. And despite this, elections in the US are said to remain largely intact.

According the report, the U.S. democracy is currently in a much faster deterioration process than any other democracy in modern times. Within only one year, the USA’s score on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy index has declined by 24 percent, while its world rank dropped from 20th to 51st place out of 179 nations. The liberal aspects of democracy show the largest decline in the U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term can be summarised as a rapid concentration of powers in the presidency, according to the report.

“The current U.S. administration has been undercutting institutionalised checks and balances, politicising civil service and oversight bodies, and intimidating the judiciary, alongside attacks on the press, academia, civil liberties, and dissenting voices ”says Staffan I Lindberg Professor at the V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg.

Since election specific indicators are only evaluated during national election years, there has not been a change in those indicators in 2025 for the U.S. “The 2026 American midterm elections will be a critical test for the quality of elections, and democracy, in the United States. If election indicators also decline, the U.S. will fall even further,” says Staffan I Lindberg. On a more positive note, the report shows that 18 nations worldwide (10 percent) are currently democratizing, with large countries such as Brazil and Poland continuing their democratization processes. In the majority of these countries, media freedom is improved. Botswana, Guatemala, and Mauritius are the three new democratizing countries identified in the 2025 data.

 

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• autocratisation, democratic, Global democracy, Staffan I Lindberg, V-Dem Institute’s Democracy Report

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