U.S. loses 'liberal democracy' status for first time in 50 years

The United States has lost its designation as a "liberal democracy" for the first time in five decades, according to the V-Dem Institute, a research organization affiliated with the University of Gothenburg in Sweden that annually measures the quality of democracies worldwide.

In its 2025 report released Tuesday, the institute reclassified the United States as an "electoral democracy," a lower category on its democratic quality scale. The V-Dem Institute, one of the world's most prominent organizations tracking democratic standards, attributed the downgrade to what it described as a rapid decline in American democracy under Donald Trump.

The liberal democracy classification measures democratic quality across electoral dimensions—such as the existence of free, fair, and competitive elections—and liberal dimensions, including separation of powers and respect for civil liberties. The United States had maintained its liberal democracy status for the previous 50 years before this year's assessment.

In a notable shift, Brazil surpassed the United States on the liberal democracy index for the first time in the institute's history. The V-Dem Institute compiles its assessments using data from more than 4,000 experts worldwide who contribute to its database on global democratic conditions.