According to the Democracy Report 2024 from the Gothenburg-based V-Dem Institute, India has worsened its democratic standing, further slipping into the category of “electoral autocracy,” a status it received in 2018. The latest report describes India as “one of the worst autocratisers,” marking a continued decline across various democratic metrics.
The V-Dem Institute classifies countries into four types based on their Liberal Democratic Index (LDI): Liberal Democracy, Electoral Democracy, Electoral Autocracy, and Closed Autocracy. Their report charts the global trajectory of democratic and autocratic trends. In 2023, 42 countries, representing 35% of the global population, were experiencing autocratisation. India, with 18% of the world’s population, is home to approximately half of the people living in autocratising countries. Meanwhile, only 18 countries, accounting for just 5% of the world’s population, are experiencing democratisation.
The report highlights a troubling global shift: 71% of the world’s population, or 5.7 billion people, now live in autocracies, an increase from 48% a decade ago. The global average level of democracy has regressed to levels not seen since 1985, with the sharpest declines occurring in Eastern Europe, South, and Central Asia.
Freedom of expression, fair elections, and civil society rights have been the hardest-hit areas in autocratising countries. The report also points out a significant erosion of the independence of electoral management bodies in 22 of the 42 autocratising nations.
India’s regression has been stark. The level of “liberal democracy” enjoyed by the average Indian is now comparable to what was experienced in 1975, during the Emergency period under Indira Gandhi. In a liberal democracy, not only are free and fair elections a norm, but there are strong protections for civil liberties, judicial independence, and checks on executive power. In an electoral autocracy, like India’s current status, elections occur but basic democratic freedoms such as free expression and fair elections are severely compromised.
The V-Dem report delves into how India’s democratic decline is linked to the weakening of freedom of expression, media independence, and increasing crackdowns on social media and critical journalists. The government’s use of laws concerning sedition, defamation, and counterterrorism has been a primary tool to silence critics. The report also highlights the ongoing suppression of religious freedoms and the intimidation of political opponents, academics, and protestors. The only nation in South and Central Asia still classified as a liberal democracy is Bhutan.
Looking ahead, the report emphasizes the critical importance of elections in 2024, noting that over half of the 60 countries scheduled to hold elections that year are in democratic decline. Elections in autocratising nations are pivotal moments that could either facilitate further autocratisation, trigger democratisation, or stabilize authoritarian regimes. Given India’s trajectory, a third consecutive term for the BJP and Prime Minister Modi could push the country even further into autocracy, considering the already substantial democratic erosion under his leadership.
The V-Dem Democracy Report is the result of collaboration among 4,200 scholars from 180 countries, utilizing 31 million datasets covering 202 nations from 1789 to 2023.
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