Morocco tops Arab World in 2024 Democracy Index as Hybrid Regime

Ya Biladi

28-02-2025

Morocco ranked 91st globally out of 167 countries in the 2024 Democracy Index, published today by The Economist. The country scored 4.97 out of 10 points, moving up two places from its 2023 ranking.
According to the report, issued by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Morocco has shown steady progress over the years. In 2006, the kingdom scored 3.9 points, rising to 4.07 in 2012, 4.77 in 2016, 4.9 in 2018, and peaking at 5.10 in 2019 before experiencing slight declines in subsequent years.
The index evaluates the state of democracy in 167 countries based on five key indicators, with scores ranging from 0 to 10—the higher the score, the more democratic the country. Morocco's individual scores were: Electoral process and pluralism (5.25), Government performance (4.29), Political participation (5.56), Political culture (5.6) and Civil liberties (4.12).
In the Arab world, only Morocco and Tunisia were classified as «hybrid democracies», while all other countries fell into the «authoritarian regimes» category. The report divides countries into four categories : full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes.
Morocco ranked first in the Arab world, ahead of Tunisia (93rd globally), Mauritania (108th), Algeria (110th), and Palestine (112th). In the MENA region, Morocco placed second, behind Israel (31st globally).
On a global scale, Norway topped the ranking, followed by New Zealand, Sweden, and Iceland. Switzerland, Finland, and Denmark also featured in the top seven. At the bottom of the list were North Korea, Myanmar, and Afghanistan.
The report noted that representative democracy remains rare in the Middle East and North Africa, stating: 'Only Israel practices full democracy. Most regimes introduce limited political representation to appease demands for reform while maintaining centralized control.'
It further highlighted that «superficial democratic facades» exist in countries such as Iraq and Lebanon, which operate under rigid sectarian systems, as well as in constitutional monarchies like Jordan and Morocco, where political structures heavily favor the monarchy. Other regimes, including Egypt, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, were described as maintaining only token parliaments.
The report also pointed out that the MENA region had the lowest scores in the electoral process and pluralism category.
Globally, the average democracy index score declined from 5.52 in 2006 to a record low of 5.17 in 2024, with 130 out of the 167 countries experiencing stagnation or regression. It also found that over a third of the world's population (39.2%) now lives under authoritarian rule. The number of countries classified as authoritarian regimes has increased to 60, up by one from 2023 and by eight since 2014.