Countries With the Highest Official Ideology, Strength
Every country with a figure for official ideology, strength, ranked from highest to lowest. The top three are Cuba (3.37), Afghanistan (3.28) and Eswatini (3.19). The middle country of the 176 has -0.542.
What this measures
How far the government justifies itself with an official ideology, in score (higher = more). Source: V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. For this measure, no agreed better direction.
To what extent does the government promote a set of official beliefs, such as socialism, nationalism or a religion, to justify its rule? Experts answer from 0 ("not at all") to 4 ("almost exclusively"), and V-Dem turns the answers into a score of about -4 to +4. Which ideology it is appears in the "official ideology" label. V-Dem's coding of this question runs to 2023.
The full ranking
Each country’s latest figure, from 2020–2023. The year beside each value says when it was measured.
| Rank | Country | Official ideology, strength | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuba | 3.37 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 2 | Afghanistan | 3.28 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 3 | Eswatini | 3.19 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 4 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 2.9 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 5 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 2.73 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 6 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 2.44 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 7 | Belarus | 2.17 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 8 | Turkmenistan | 2.09 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 9 | India | 2.08 | 2023 | South Asia |
| 10 | Viet Nam | 2.02 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 11 | China | 2.02 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 12 | Lao PDR | 1.8 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 13 | Nicaragua | 1.78 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 14 | Russian Federation | 1.76 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 15 | Bangladesh | 1.67 | 2023 | South Asia |
| 16 | Turkiye | 1.64 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 17 | Syrian Arab Republic | 1.53 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 18 | Saudi Arabia | 1.52 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 19 | Israel | 1.49 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 20 | United Arab Emirates | 1.48 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 21 | Venezuela, RB | 1.48 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 22 | Qatar | 1.45 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 23 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.42 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 24 | Zimbabwe | 1.41 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 25 | Serbia | 1.39 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 26 | Hungary | 1.38 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 27 | Mexico | 1.37 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 28 | Azerbaijan | 1.36 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 29 | Bahrain | 1.34 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 30 | Rwanda | 1.34 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 31 | Tajikistan | 1.23 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 32 | Niger | 1.21 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 33 | Eritrea | 1.16 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 34 | Mali | 1.1 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 35 | Malaysia | 1.07 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 36 | Comoros | 0.955 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 37 | Mauritius | 0.947 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 38 | Bolivia | 0.825 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 39 | Tanzania | 0.81 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 40 | Barbados | 0.748 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 41 | Oman | 0.65 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 42 | Fiji | 0.617 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 43 | Colombia | 0.567 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 44 | Bhutan | 0.514 | 2023 | South Asia |
| 45 | Jamaica | 0.511 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 46 | Yemen, Rep. | 0.501 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 47 | Myanmar | 0.491 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 48 | Iraq | 0.443 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 49 | Morocco | 0.38 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 50 | Cameroon | 0.343 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 51 | Central African Republic | 0.328 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 52 | Equatorial Guinea | 0.31 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 53 | Uganda | 0.254 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 54 | Ethiopia | 0.253 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 55 | Thailand | 0.216 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 56 | Uzbekistan | 0.208 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 57 | Kyrgyz Republic | 0.13 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 58 | Kuwait | 0.117 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 59 | Taiwan | 0.11 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 60 | Maldives | 0.09 | 2023 | South Asia |
| 61 | Namibia | 0.061 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 62 | Kenya | 0.042 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 63 | South Africa | 0.042 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 64 | Senegal | 0.01 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 65 | Argentina | 0.002 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 66 | United States | -0.008 | 2023 | North America |
| 67 | Honduras | -0.043 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 68 | Burkina Faso | -0.048 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 69 | Nepal | -0.069 | 2023 | South Asia |
| 70 | Indonesia | -0.094 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 71 | Zambia | -0.128 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 72 | Guinea | -0.152 | 2020 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 73 | Ukraine | -0.18 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 74 | Gabon | -0.217 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 75 | Kazakhstan | -0.217 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 76 | Cyprus | -0.244 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 77 | Guatemala | -0.275 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 78 | Japan | -0.297 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 79 | Croatia | -0.305 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 80 | Algeria | -0.332 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 81 | Poland | -0.341 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 82 | Benin | -0.367 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 83 | Latvia | -0.425 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 84 | Timor-Leste | -0.43 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 85 | Jordan | -0.469 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 86 | New Zealand | -0.527 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 87 | Brazil | -0.538 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 88 | Nigeria | -0.542 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 89 | Singapore | -0.544 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 90 | Djibouti | -0.567 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 91 | Greece | -0.567 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 92 | Kosovo | -0.58 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 93 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | -0.585 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 94 | Italy | -0.615 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 95 | Botswana | -0.629 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 96 | North Macedonia | -0.632 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 97 | France | -0.638 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 98 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | -0.639 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 99 | Finland | -0.64 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 100 | Seychelles | -0.69 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 101 | Canada | -0.755 | 2023 | North America |
| 102 | Montenegro | -0.766 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 103 | Philippines | -0.803 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 104 | Lebanon | -0.856 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 105 | Liberia | -0.859 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 106 | Norway | -0.875 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 107 | Vanuatu | -0.878 | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 108 | Chile | -0.879 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 109 | Sierra Leone | -0.911 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 110 | Cambodia | -0.912 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 111 | Madagascar | -0.928 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 112 | Gambia, The | -0.952 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 113 | Korea, Rep. | -0.968 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 114 | Mozambique | -0.993 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 115 | Costa Rica | -0.994 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 116 | Chad | -1.02 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 117 | Paraguay | -1.02 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 118 | Tunisia | -1.03 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 119 | Cabo Verde | -1.04 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 120 | Albania | -1.09 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 121 | Cote d'Ivoire | -1.1 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 122 | United Kingdom | -1.12 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 123 | Dominican Republic | -1.13 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 124 | Guyana | -1.13 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 125 | Iceland | -1.14 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 126 | Togo | -1.2 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 127 | Sao Tome and Principe | -1.2 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 128 | Suriname | -1.23 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 129 | Mauritania | -1.25 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 130 | West Bank and Gaza | -1.25 | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 131 | Libya | -1.26 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 132 | Georgia | -1.33 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 133 | Armenia | -1.33 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 134 | Lesotho | -1.35 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 135 | Guinea-Bissau | -1.37 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 136 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | -1.41 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 137 | Malta | -1.41 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 138 | Mongolia | -1.41 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 139 | Trinidad and Tobago | -1.42 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 140 | Spain | -1.42 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 141 | South Sudan | -1.42 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 142 | Angola | -1.43 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 143 | Sudan | -1.43 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 144 | Ireland | -1.44 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 145 | Papua New Guinea | -1.47 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 146 | Ghana | -1.49 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 147 | Romania | -1.5 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 148 | Pakistan | -1.52 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 149 | Slovak Republic | -1.55 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 150 | Peru | -1.57 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 151 | Australia | -1.57 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 152 | Sweden | -1.59 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 153 | Ecuador | -1.63 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 154 | Congo, Rep. | -1.71 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 155 | Malawi | -1.74 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 156 | Czechia | -1.74 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 157 | El Salvador | -1.82 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 158 | Haiti | -1.84 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 159 | Sri Lanka | -1.89 | 2023 | South Asia |
| 160 | Solomon Islands | -1.91 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 161 | Denmark | -1.97 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 162 | Moldova | -2.03 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 163 | Netherlands | -2.03 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 164 | Lithuania | -2.09 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 165 | Panama | -2.22 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 166 | Uruguay | -2.23 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 167 | Germany | -2.29 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 168 | Burundi | -2.37 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 169 | Portugal | -2.53 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 170 | Austria | -2.54 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 171 | Belgium | -2.63 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 172 | Estonia | -2.68 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 173 | Switzerland | -2.9 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 174 | Slovenia | -2.94 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 175 | Bulgaria | -2.96 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 176 | Luxembourg | -3.25 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
More on official ideology, strength
- Countries With the Lowest Official Ideology, Strength
- Official ideology, strength by country: trend over time and what it goes with
Related rankings
- Countries With the Highest Corruption Perceptions Index
- Countries With the Highest Political Rights (FH)
- Countries With the Highest Civil Liberties (FH)
- Countries With the Highest Legal System and Property Rights (Fraser)
- Countries With the Highest Trust in Government
- Countries With the Highest Pre-trial Detainee Shares
- Countries With the Highest Refugees Originating
- Countries With the Highest Electoral Democracy
A ranking describes countries, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All country rankings.