PARIS—Democratic standards across the world fell in 2023 amid the spread of wars, authoritarian crackdowns and declining levels of trust in mainstream political parties, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said on Thursday. While the number of countries categorized as democracies increased by two last year, the global average index score fell to 5.23 in 2023 from 5.29 the year before, its lowest level since the first study was published in 2006.W. The study said it was the first time that North America has not placed as the world’s highest-scoring region. Your subscription has been successful. Subscribe to our daily newsletter SIGN ME UPThe top three places in the index are occupied by Norway, New Zealand and Iceland, while the final three countries are North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 16, 2024 11:11 UTC