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The Global State of Democracy Report 2021

Building Resilience in a Pandemic Era

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The world is becoming more authoritarian.

The world is becoming more authoritarian as autocratic regimes become even more brazen in their repression and many democratic governments suffer from backsliding by adopting their tactics of restricting free speech and weakening the rule of law, exacerbated by what threatens to become a "new normal" of Covid-19 restrictions. Over a quarter of the world's population now live under democratically backsliding governments, including some of the world's largest democracies, such as Brazil, India and three EU members - Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia. Together with those living in non-democratic regimes, they make up more than two-thirds of the world's population.

Yet, democracy is resilient

Protest and civic action are alive and well. Pro-democracy movements have braved repression around the world, and global social movements for tackling climate change and fighting racial inequalities have emerged. In spite of restrictions, more than three-quarters of countries have experienced protests during the pandemic.

Many democracies have proved resilient to the pandemic, introducing or expanding democratic innovations and adapting their practices and institutions in record time. Countries around the world rapidly activated Special Voting Arrangements to allow citizens to continue to hold elections in exceedingly difficult conditions.

We must act urgently and boldly.

Join us in a call for global democratic renewal.

DELIVER a new social contract that closes the gap between what people want and what governments currently deliver by designing responsive, inclusive, accountable, and transparent institutions oriented towards achieving sustainable development.

REBUILD existing institutions by updating practices in established democracies, building democratic capacity in new democracies, and protecting electoral integrity, fundamental freedoms and rights, and the checks and balances essential to thriving democratic systems.

PREVENT rising authoritarianism and democratic backsliding by investing in education and by supporting independent civil society, combatting disinformation and supporting free and independent media that facilitates the growth of democratic cultures, values and practice.

For quick access to the key facts and findings of the different reports, please download our summary. This document is intended to provide readers with the highlights across the five reports in one (short) document. The summary specifically focus on the challenges and opportunities that were identified in each of the reports.

Global State of Democracy Report 2021

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A Summary of the 2021 Global State of Democracy: Building Resilience in a Pandemic Era

International IDEA Secretary-General’s call to Renew Democracy

How do we measure democracy?

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Region: Africa and the Middle East

Type: Prevent

There should be greater coordination between all the different mediation and peacekeeping initiatives run by the UN, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the EU and the USA—through the Good Offices of Special Envoys and high-level representatives—in addressing the ongoing security challenges, mediation and post-conflict management, especially in fragile countries and countries in transition, such as Sudan and Yemen.

Region: Africa and the Middle East

Attribute: Representative Government

Type: Prevent

Action must be taken that will improve public trust in the integrity of electoral processes and greater participation in elections. Among other things, EMBs should adopt more transparent and effective rules on campaign finance, and should also develop more effective enforcement mechanisms of those rules, as well as robust civic and voter education.

Region: Global

Type: Prevent

Parliaments, judiciaries, EMBs, government ministries and CSOs should make greater efforts to engage with peer organizations operating in other contexts to learn from each other. Academia, legislative research organs, civil society and think tanks should promote research and knowledge exchange that focus on understanding the causes of democratic backsliding in all kinds of democracies, and develop prevention strategies, such as early warning systems that help practitioners and policymakers design well-timed interventions in advance of serious democratic decline.

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