Today, liberalism is increasingly becoming a dominant political ideology in many countries, characterized by the pursuit of liberty, equal rights, and social justice. Different nations demonstrate their liberal tendencies through their political practices, societal norms, and legislations. The 'Liberal Democracy Index' offers a comprehensive analysis of how liberal various countries are, based on an array of factors such as social liberties, political freedoms, rule of law, and governmental systems.
Scandinavian countries lead in liberalism. Sweden and Denmark top the Liberal Democracy Index with scores of 0.88 and 0.86 respectively. Norway isn't far behind at 0.86.
Costa Rica and Estonia stand out remarkably among their geographical neighbors. Despite being surrounded by countries with lower scores, Costa Rica and Estonia rank 4th and 5th on the index. Costa Rica scores 0.85, the highest within Latin America, while Estonia, with a score of 0.84, ranks the highest among Eastern European nations, surpassing even some Western European states.
While New Zealand and Australia are often aligned culturally, there is a noticeable gap in their liberalism scores. New Zealand, ranking 6th, outpaces Australia, which rests at the 14th position. New Zealand scores 0.84, contrasting with Australia's lower score of 0.81.
Within the United States, known for its long-standing democratic traditions, liberalism is moderately high. The United States is positioned at 29th place, holding a score of 0.74.
A striking finding is the low liberalism scores of numerous Middle Eastern and African countries. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Yemen, and North Korea occupy the bottom positions in the list with scores below 0.05
