According to the Democracy Index for 2024, recently published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Cyprus has dropped three places to 40th out of 167 countries.
Despite the decline, the island state remains in the 'imperfect democracy' category, which includes France, the United States, Malta, Israel and Serbia.
Note that the Democracy Index is constructed on the basis of five key criteria, on which Cyprus was rated as follows
- Electoral process and pluralism - 9.17 points
- Civil liberties - 8.82 points
- Political culture - 6.88 points
- Political participation - 6.67 points
- Functioning of government - 5.36 points
It is thus in the last two categories that Cyprus recorded the greatest decline in 2024. The authors of the report note that there is growing disillusionment with democratic systems around the world. The main problems identified are
- Corruption and closed government
- Lack of transparency in government
- Influence of oligarchs and vested interests
- Devolution of power to unelected structures (e.g. central banks and the judiciary).
As a result, citizens do not feel in control of their governments and trust in democratic institutions continues to decline. Compared to other countries, the
First place in the Democracy Index 2024 goes to Norway, which has confirmed its status as a 'full democracy' for a number of years. The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and Australia were also among the top performers. Although Western Europe remains the leading region in terms of democracy, the growing popularity of anti-establishment parties reflects citizens' disillusionment with traditional politics.
The decline in Cyprus' position in the Index points to the need for reform, particularly in public administration. Increased transparency in government and citizen participation in decision-making could improve the ranking in the future.