How Strong is the Link Between Democracy, Liberty, and Human Well-being?
- Nir Topper
- Jul 5
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 6
Political liberty is not just an abstract ideal; it has a tangible and measurable impact on people's daily lives. Based on the assumption that there is a positive correlation between the level of freedom and liberty in a country and the well-being and quality of life of its citizens, I have constructed a model that seeks to measure the strength of this correlation. The main goal is to examine the intensity of this correlation to highlight the importance of strengthening the variables that make up a country's democracy, freedom, and liberty indices, in order to enhance the well-being and quality of life of its citizens.
The Tangible Fruits of Democracy and Liberty – The Link to Well-being and Quality of Life
To demonstrate the connection between democracy indices and citizen well-being, I use a comparison of two composite indices I created for this purpose:
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
The Global Integrated Democracy Index (GDCI)
This comparison reveals a clear positive correlation between the level of democracy and liberty in a country and the well-being and quality of life of its citizens.
Freedom and Liberty
The terms "freedom" and "liberty" are often used interchangeably. However, there is a fundamental and important distinction between them:
"Freedom" is a spectrum that expresses the degree of restraint or limitation, ranging from absolute restraint (minimum freedom) to maximum freedom, which in its purest sense is the complete absence of any restraint or limitation. Such a state exists only in theory. It is a state of being able to do anything and be anything, without external control and without responsibility for the consequences.
In contrast, "Liberty" is a more complex concept. It describes a state of liberation from control or oppressive, cruel, unjust, or arbitrary restrictions imposed by an authority—usually governmental—on an individual's way of life, behavior, or political views.
Even liberty in its maximal sense does not aspire to the absence of all control; it assumes that some restraint is essential for the existence of a functioning society. The crucial difference lies in the nature of that control. Liberty is freedom from arbitrary restraint—that is, from unpredictable or unreasonable force applied against a person without their consent. Liberty implies control to which the individual agrees, which is predictable, reasonable, and logical, and to which the person gives their consent.
The English philosopher John Locke argued at the end of the 17th century that "the end of Law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge Freedom: For in all the states of created beings capable of Laws, where there is no Law, there is no Freedom."
Mapping Democracy and Liberty
To compare the state of democracy among different countries, I constructed the "Global Integrated Democracy Index" (GDCI) to allow for a broad and more nuanced assessment of the state of democracy in the world. The GDCI is a weighted average of the three leading and most respected indices in the field:
Freedom in the World: This is the most cited and recognized annual report in the field, assessing political rights and civil liberties in 195 countries and select territories.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index: This index provides a snapshot of the state of democracy in 167 countries and territories, covering almost the entire world population.
The Democracy Report from the V-Dem Institute: The V-Dem Institute offers a unique approach that measures hundreds of attributes of democracy historically and in detail, using data from 1789 to the present day.
Ancillary Conclusions from the Analysis of Global Democracy Indices
The context in which this report is presented is grim. The three indices, despite their different methodologies, point to a uniform and alarming trend of democratic erosion. Freedom House notes that 2023 was the 19th consecutive year of decline in global freedom. The EIU reports that the average score in its Democracy Index has reached a historic low. V-Dem confirms this trend, noting that for the first time in two decades, the number of autocracies in the world exceeds the number of democracies. This consensus, coming from three separate research approaches, underscores the severity of the situation and the urgency of a deep analysis of its causes.
The Global Integrated Democracy Index (GDCI)
The convergence of the three reports on a shared conclusion regarding democratic backsliding is a powerful finding. The fact that three such different methodologies—a practical approach, an economic-survey approach, and an academic-expert approach—reach the same general conclusion lends strong, cross-validated support to the severity of the trend. This indicates that the erosion of democracy is not just a subjective perception but a structural and measurable phenomenon, affecting diverse aspects of governance (rights, institutions, participation, and the rule of law). This convergence justifies the creation of a combined index; since the indices agree on the general direction, a composite score can smooth out minor methodological "noise" and provide a more stable and reliable "signal" about a country's democratic health.
72% of the world's population—approximately 5.93 billion people out of a global population of about 8.23 billion—now live under autocratic regimes. This figure, the highest since 1978, highlights the extent of the liberty deficit in our world. Furthermore, 3.1 billion people (38% of the world's population) live in countries undergoing an active process of democratic decline.
Population Living in Reasonable Liberty: About 1.3 billion people, representing approximately 16% of the world's population, live in countries defined as "Free." Most of them reside in the established democracies of North America, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as in countries like Japan and South Korea.
Population Living Under Oppression: About 3.3 billion people, representing approximately 40% of the world's population, live in countries defined as "Not Free." The majority of this population is concentrated in populous countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and Egypt.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Agenda, are 17 global goals from the United Nations designed to address the world's most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges by the year 2030. These goals were decided upon and adopted by all UN Member States, including Israel, in September 2015. These goals constitute a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The goals are comprehensive and integrated, recognizing that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
No Poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
Zero Hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
Good Health and Well-being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Quality Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Gender Equality: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Clean Water and Sanitation: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Affordable and Clean Energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
Reduced Inequalities: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Responsible Consumption and Production: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Life Below Water: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Life on Land: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
Partnerships for the Goals: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
The 2025 SDG Index: Global Country Ranking
The 2025 Sustainable Development Report ranks 167 out of the 193 UN Member States based on their overall progress towards achieving all 17 Goals. A score of 100 indicates that all Goals have been achieved.
Analysis of Global SDG Performance
This section expands the perspective from individual rankings to a broader analysis of the global trends and patterns revealed in the data.
A World Off-Track: Stagnation and Reversal on the 2030 Agenda
The central assessment from recent reports should be a sobering one for decision-makers: global progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has stalled for the second consecutive year. Only about 16% to 17% of the SDG targets are on track to be achieved by 2030, while the remaining 84% show limited progress or even reversal. This stagnation is attributed to a combination of crises: the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating conflicts and geopolitical tensions, and growing climate chaos.
Progress has particularly stalled or reversed on critical goals: SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). Specific targets showing a clear reversal include obesity rates, press freedom, the Red List Index of endangered species, and sustainable nitrogen management. These reversals translate into concrete outcomes, such as an additional 100 million people suffering from hunger in 2022 compared to 2019.
Leading Countries and Regional Dynamics
The Nordic countries continue to lead in achieving the SDGs, with Finland, Sweden, and Denmark consistently occupying the top three spots. This success highlights the effectiveness of the Nordic model, which is based on social democracy and strong public investment, in achieving sustainable development outcomes.
Dynamically, East and South Asia is the region that has demonstrated the most rapid progress since 2015. The BRICS countries (a group comprising about 26.7% of the world's land area and 41.5% of the global population: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia) have also shown faster-than-average progress. These findings indicate a dynamic shift in global development, where emerging economies are making significant strides, particularly in socio-economic targets.
At the other end of the scale, the lowest-ranked countries are consistently those affected by conflict and instability, such as South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Chad. This fact underscores a fundamental truth: peace and security (SDG 16) are a prerequisite for any meaningful development progress. It reveals a vicious cycle where conflict destroys development gains, and the lack of development fuels conflict.
Ranking of countries worldwide in a table combining data from democracy indices and sustainable development metrics.
Link to the full table –
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tHmehgmDyrK9YgDgK8fkpooczpxfad9uWscjXKA0IlE/edit?usp=sharing
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