Top democracy monitor: US is no longer a liberal democracy

The Varieties of Democracy Institute, known as V-Dem and based in Gothenburg, now says plainly what many feared: the United States has moved out of its long-run category as a liberal democracy. Their annual report finds the US is undergoing rapid "autocratisation" and that the pace of decline is faster than what was observed in countries such as Hungary and Turkey.

Why this matters: V-Dem has datasets stretching back to 1789. Their researchers say the current drop in democratic safeguards is the largest the US has seen in its recorded history. In short, decades of progress have been wiped back to levels not seen since the mid-1960s.

What V-Dem measured

The institute uses 48 indicators to judge democratic health, covering things like media freedom, the fairness of elections, rule of law, and civil liberties. Their "liberal democracy index" shows a very rapid erosion driven mainly by a strong shift of power into the presidency, while Congress and other checks have weakened.

Concentration of power in the presidency

  • In its first year, the current administration issued many executive orders while Congress passed far fewer new laws. V-Dem notes a marked imbalance between executive action and legislative oversight.

  • The report calls out mass dismissals of inspectors general and senior civil servants, replaced by political loyalists. V-Dem highlights this pattern as identical to tactics used by leaders who then dismantled democratic institutions in other countries.

  • V-Dem points to a large-scale pardon of people convicted over the January 6 assault on the Capitol as an example of actions that undermine the legitimacy of courts and legal constraints.

Courts and civil liberties

The judiciary has not consistently checked executive power, and the institute documents more than 600 ongoing legal actions involving the administration. At the same time civil rights and freedom of expression have fallen sharply, with free speech levels at their lowest since the 1940s according to V-Dem.

Global context

V-Dem says this trend is not just American. Democracy around the world has slipped to its lowest levels since the 1970s, and a record share of the global population now lives in countries where democracy is weakening. The report warns that the far right, once in power, often erodes democratic institutions.

Europe and other notes

  • Several European countries show signs of backsliding, and V-Dem lists multiple EU members as affected by autocratisation. The UK is named a new autocratiser because of declines in media freedom and restrictions on public protest and online speech across recent legislation.

  • Nordic countries and some smaller states top V-Dem’s democracy rankings for 2025. Only 18 countries are moving toward stronger democracy, a historic low.

How fragile are elections?

The institute notes that elections in the US remain free and open for now, and the system is still functioning. But there are clear warning signs. A high number of election officials and poll workers have resigned or left since 2020, raising concerns about the conduct of future elections and the risk of political leaders refusing to accept unfavorable results.

Public reaction and what might slow the slide

There are signs of pushback. The report observes falling approval ratings for the current president and growing criticism from within his political base. Some states and local institutions have pushed back successfully against federal actions that threatened civil rights.

Still, V-Dem’s main point is a sober one: once democratic erosion begins, reversing it is difficult. The institute urges attention to institutional safeguards, independent oversight, and protection for the people who keep elections and government functioning.

Bottom line: V-Dem’s long-running dataset and global network of researchers show the United States is undergoing a fast and serious weakening of democratic checks and civil liberties. The pattern matches methods used by recent autocratisers elsewhere, and the global picture of democratic decline is wider than any single country.

The findings are based on V-Dem’s 2025 data and its latest annual report.