RUSSIAN FEDERATIONMONGOLIASOUTH
KOREAJAPAN
CHINANORTH
KOREAINDIABHUTANNEPALTAIWANBANGLADESHCAMBODIA PHILIPPINESVIETNAMTHAILANDLAOSMYANMARPALAUINDONESIA EAST TIMORSINGAPOREBRUNEIMALAYSIASea of
Japan
(East Sea)East
China
SeaPhilippine
SeaKAZAKHSTANTAJIKISTANUZBEKISTANKYRGYZSTAN
TURKMENISTANAZERBAIJIANIRAQ IRAN
KUWAIT PAKISTANAFGHANISTANArabian
Sea Bay of
BengalSAUDI
ARABIA
OMANYEMENBAHRAIN
QATAR
UAE
Red seaSYRIAISRAEL JORDANPALESTINELEBANONTURKEYSRI LANKABlack
SeaCaspian
SeaStates of Transition
DEMOCRACY HAS NUMEROUS SHADES OF GREY, WHICH IS WHY IT IS USEFUL
TO MEASURE DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE THROUGH THE DEMOCRACY INDEXDemocracy is a label applied
quite liberally by states, but it’s
worth noting that while several
countries proclaim themselves
as democratic, this is not always
the case in practice. Democracy is
understood to be a political system
that elects its governments through
free and fair elections, and which
requires the active participation of
citizens in politics and civic life. By
this definition, the application of the
label to the political landscape of
some states that declare themselves
democratic requires a hefty pinch of
salt – which is why we’ve included the
country’s ranking in the Democracy
Index as a means of measurement.The Democracy Index
Categorises countries as one of four regime types:FULL DEMOCRACIES (RAngE 8–10)
There are no countries that are deemed full or “pure”
democracies in AsiaFLAWED DEMOCRACIES (RAngE 6–8)
Practise free elections but may have weak
governance, an underdeveloped political culture
and poor levels of political participationHYBRID REgIME (RAngE 4–6)
Combine democratic traits, such as elections, with
autocratic practices, such as political repressionAUt HORItARIAn (RAngE 0–4)
Countries ruled by a single government or person
who has unlimited authority, and where people have
limited political freedomsFlawed Democracies
Range 6–8
Hybrid Regimes
Range 4–6
Authoritarian Regimes
Range 0–4LEgEnDSIn FOCUS