Overview
- The Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformationsindex 2026, released Thursday, finds 56% of the 137 countries studied are autocracies and says elections in 54% no longer meet democratic standards.
- Two thirds of the 77 autocracies are classified as hard regimes that ignore basic rights, with examples including Russia, China, Iran, Myanmar, Venezuela, and Belarus using digital surveillance and internet shutdowns to quash dissent.
- The report says some elected governments dismantled checks such as independent courts and functioning parliaments to entrench power, naming Hungary as the most sustained case and flagging manipulated votes in Georgia and Serbia.
- The index reviews developing and transition states and excludes 23 established democracies, and although the United States is not scored, BTI experts say democracy there is eroding under President Donald Trump.
- Despite the backsliding, the study highlights vigorous civic pushback, citing protests in Iran and mass movements that helped unseat rulers in Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka.