The Guardian
· collected 2026-09-15 · by Jason Burke International security correspondent
According to data from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), key indicators of democracy in the US have reached their lowest levels in 50 years, with significant declines noted globally since 2014. The report attributes this downturn partly to actions taken during the Trump administration that undermined judicial independence and press freedom. International IDEA’s annual Global State of Democracy report, which analyzes democratic performance across 174 countries from 1975 onward, highlights a continuous global decline in democracy over the last eleven years, with 2025 marking the eleventh consecutive year showing more declines than improvements.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Key indicators of democracy in the US have fallen to their lowest levels in 50 years, with the global rule of law significantly undermined by the Trump administration’s “threats and actions”, data from a leading thinktank shows.
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data → fall → thinktank
Around the world, judicial independence, credible elections and freedom of expression, press freedom and access to justice are all at their lowest levels for at least 30 years, according to the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International Idea).
uncertain
independence → accord → Democracy
The intergovernmental organisation’s annual Global State of Democracy report is considered the most comprehensive of its kind, covering 174 countries and measuring democratic performance since 1975.
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report → consider → 1975
International Idea said the decline in the US was particularly marked, but part of a global trend, with 2025 the 11th consecutive year in which more countries declined than improved democratically – the longest continuous downturn since the thinktank’s records began.
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records → say → which
“In 2025, the global challenges to democracy and the difficulty in stemming its erosion were both exemplified and compounded by political developments in the United States,” the report’s authors said.
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authors → stem → States
“President Donald Trump quickly amassed power in the executive branch and wielded it to further a narrow set of personal goals and pursue retaliation against perceived enemies …
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Trump → amass → enemies
The results have been far-reaching, undermining the rule of law domestically and internationally and testing longstanding alliances and multilateral cooperation.”
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results → reach → alliances
Kevin Casas-Zamora, International Idea’s secretary general, warned that the risk of conflict rose as democracies deteriorated.
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democracies → warn → conflict
“The key message from our research is that investing in democracy should be at the heart of any country’s security strategy,” he said.
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he → invest → strategy
“The connection between the erosion of the quality of democracy and increasing conflict is not being made either in policymaking or in the public debate.”
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connection → increase → debate
The separate Uppsala Conflict Data Program, based at Uppsala University in Sweden, shows that 2025 had the most violent conflicts – including the most interstate conflicts – of any year in its dataset, which goes back to 1946.
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which → base → 1946
The International Idea report did highlight some positive developments, including in Australia – where civil society groups were consulted on an anti-racism strategy and children’s online privacy among other issues – and in Syria, where the repressive dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad was overthrown.
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dictatorship → highlight → Assad
In Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, youth-led popular protests unseated long-serving leaders, but, the report noted, “it has proven difficult to create far-reaching, meaningful reform in a short period of time”.
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it → lead → time
Casas-Zamora said it was clear that events in the US influenced other countries.
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events → say → countries
International Idea added the US to its list of “backsliding” democracies for the first time in 2021, pointing to a “visible deterioration” it said began in 2019.
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it → add → 2019
The thinktank bases its assessments on 50 years of democratic indicators, assigning countries to one of three categories: democracies, “hybrid” governments and authoritarian regimes.
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thinktank → base → categories
Globally, it found rule of law was the weakest area of democracy in 2025, with 71 countries – 41% of those assessed – ranked as low-performing.
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countries → find → those
It was also found to be deteriorating quickly, with 29 countries registering downturns.
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countries → find → downturns
“Whatever happens in the US goes global.
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happens → happen → US
There is now an epidemic of election denialism, of which the patient zero is the current occupant of the White House,” Casas-Zamor said.
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Zamor → be → House
“I am not willing to say the deterioration of the quality of democracy is inevitable or permanent.
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deterioration → say → democracy
It can be reversed,” he added.
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he → reverse → ?
“We live in a volatile world and that means things can happen which create very positive political openings.”
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which → live → openings
Yet, despite the positive signs in Nepal, Bangladesh and elsewhere, the report paints a bleak picture overall.
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report → paint → picture
“While people continue to push back against democratic deterioration, civic space is narrowing,” its authors wrote.
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authors → continue → deterioration
“Civil society and civic engagement have suffered, due in part to the widespread use of strategic lawsuits against public participation, foreign agent laws, and the criminalisation of peaceful protests.”
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society → suffer → protests
The Aporia
