V-Dem Report Classifies US as Electoral Democracy for First Time Since 1960s

A new report from the Varieties of Democracy Institute, based at Sweden's University of Gothenburg, has classified the United States as an electoral democracy rather than a liberal democracy for the first time in more than half a century, citing a rapid erosion of democratic institutions during the first year of President Donald Trump's second term.

The 2026 Democracy Report, released this week, analyzes data from 202 countries and territories, drawing on indicators such as election quality, freedom of expression, media independence and the rule of law. Researchers found that the United States experienced the most severe democratic backsliding in its history, with the pace of decline surpassing that seen in countries like Hungary under Viktor Orbán or Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The report notes that the U.S. liberal democracy index score fell to 0.57 in 2025, down from above 0.8 in previous years, marking the lowest level since 1965, the year the Voting Rights Act was enacted.

According to the institute, key factors include a concentration of executive power, with the Trump administration issuing 225 executive orders in 2025 while the Republican-controlled Congress...