According to this index, the twenty most democratic nations on Earth are: 1. Norway 2. Iceland 3. Denmark 4. Sweden 5. New Zealand 6. Australia 7. Switzerland 8. Canada 9. Finland 10. The Netherlands 11. Luxembourg 12. Ireland 13. Austria 14. Germany 15. Malta 16. Czech Republic 17. Uruguay 18. United Kingdom 19. United States 20. Costa Rica The world's three least democratic nations are Turmenistan, Chad, and North Korea. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index Does anything about this Index surprise you? What do you think makes Norway, Iceland, and Denmark so democratic. Most people here are probably American or British, why are these nations trailing behind seventeen others? The first five have relatively small populations. Is it possible small countries have an advantage?
I like to read these types of lists all the time, just for the sake of reading it and knowing something. I notice that of the top 10 democratic nations, 7 of them are European. I also notice that many of these same nations that get good rankings as far as democracies go, also get those same rankings in other lists like Corruption Perception, Globalization and global peace. I'd say they consistently get good marks in everything because they don't flaunt their economies, have somewhat more decent political officials which cuts down on corruption and maintains good foreign relations with everyone.
