Taiwan Ranks as Strongest Democracy in Asia

Taiwan was the only nation in Asia that made it into the global top 10, becoming the eighth-strongest democracy in the world, moving up three notches from the year before.

Nations with the most outstanding performances were mostly Western European, with Norway winning first place, followed by New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Ireland.

Taiwan, along with Japan and South Korea, began to be categorized as “full democracies” instead of “flawed democracies” in the EIU report last year.

Only 21 countries qualified as “full democracies,” while 53 countries were classified as “flawed democracies.”

Notably, the United States was placed 26th and deemed a “flawed democracy.”

Meanwhile, a total of 34 countries were grouped in the “hybrid regime” bracket, and 59 countries were regarded as “authoritarian regimes.”

North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan were at the bottom of the rankings, placed 165th to 167th.

The report says most of the nations around the world have seen a decline in their democracy scores during the pandemic.

Civil liberties have significantly reduced in both developed democracies and authoritarian regimes as governments have implemented lockdowns, travel restrictions and vaccine passports to tackle surging COVID infections.

Despite challenges posed by the pandemic, Taiwan’s score remained steady, and its political status is fairly solid.

Sana Hashmi, a visiting fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, said most democracies have fared badly during the pandemic, but some democracies have done exceptionally well because their leaderships have taken timely measures.

Praising Taiwan’s successful COVID-19 strategy as a “landmark achievement,” she said, “Taiwan is one such country that resorted to transparency and accountability, and the focus has been on minimizing the damage to human lives and the economy.”