Uzbekistan ranked 150th out of 165 countries in the latest Democracy Index published by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on Thursday.
Reportedly, the situation with democracy in Uzbekistan has not changed to the last year - the country again scored 2.12 points and remains an "authoritarian regime". The experts rated the quality of the electoral process and pluralism at 0.08 points out of 10, the functioning of government at 1.86 points, political participation at 2.78 points, political culture at 5 points and civil liberties at 0.88 points. Uzbekistan had the same score in 2020.
In the region of Eastern Europe (28 countries), Uzbekistan kepth the 26th place, as in the previous year. Lower are still only Tajikistan (157) and Turkmenistan (162). Kazakhstan was again ranked 23rd (128), and Kyrgyzstan - 21st (115).
In general, there are still no “full democracies” in the region: out of 28 countries, 16 are “flawed democracies” (eastern EU member states and most of the western Balkans), 4 are “hybrid regimes” (Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Ukraine) and 8 - "authoritarian regimes" (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia and all countries of Central Asia).
"Asia and Australasia have five 'full democracies,' including three Asian ones (Japan, South Korea and Taiwan), alongside Australia and New Zealand," the report said.
The index is based on five categories -- electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation, and political culture -- and assesses the state of democracy in 167 countries and regions worldwide.
Based on a range of indicators, each country is given an overall score out of a maximum 10 and is classified as either a "full democracy," "flawed democracy," "hybrid regime," or "authoritarian regime."
According to the EIU, the developed countries of Western Europe continued to dominate globally in 2021, with 12 of the total 21 ranked as "full democracies."
Meanwhile, the United States was ranked 26th and classified as a "flawed democracy."
In the 2021 index, the EIU also noted that the number of "full democracies" fell from 13 in 2020 to 12 in 2021, with Spain, ranked 24th, slipping into the ranks of "flawed democracies."
At the bottom of the rankings were North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan, placing 165th to 167th.
Similar to last year, the report touched on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on democracy and freedom around the world.
"The pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented withdrawal of civil liberties among developed democracies and authoritarian regimes alike, through the imposition of lockdowns and restrictions on travelling and, increasingly, the introduction of 'green passes' requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for participation in public life," it said.
The EIU's first Democracy Index report was issued in 2006.
