Global democracy faces prolonged stagnation and regression

Global democracy is experiencing a prolonged period of stagnation and regression. For eleven consecutive years, the number of countries seeing democratic decline has outpaced those showing improvement, with over 80% of evaluated nations showing no significant progress.

Mechanisms of erosion include the concentration of power in the executive branch, the weakening of oversight bodies, loss of judicial independence, and the criminalization of political opposition. These shifts often occur gradually through legal reforms and institutional changes rather than sudden coups. The rule of law is identified as one of the most vulnerable dimensions of contemporary democracy.

Simultaneously, modern liberal democracy is fracturing as established parties lose support to mainstream populist movements. Experts suggest various causes for this decline, including the pressures of globalization, the erosion of social capital, and the failures of meritocracy. Economist Daron Acemoglu notes that the collapse of the coalition supporting liberal democracy can be linked to deindustrialization and automation, which weakened the economic security and political influence previously held by the working and middle classes.