The Democracy Index (the “Index") is a measure of the global state of democracy through the comprehensive analysis of multiple factors across 165 independent nations and two territories. The 2020 report published by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) marks the thirteenth edition of the series, and predictably, the focus for this particular year laid on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on freedom and democracy.

Indicators from five categories - electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties – were considered for the report. With social distancing and lockdowns regimes becoming the standard approach to curtailing the threat of the virus, the Index was found to have worsened in every single region of the world.

In the same line, Mauritius has gone down two spots on the global ranking since the 2019 Index but still maintains an admirable 20th position worldwide. With a score of 8.14, the country remains first in Africa, and boasts being the only Full Democracy in the entire African region.

The EIU report encompasses a thorough analysis of the democracy level in each region. Click HERE to access the full report.