US Democracy in Unprecedented Decline According to Global Watchdog
A leading global democracy research institute has issued a stark warning that the United States is no longer a liberal democracy, marking the most severe democratic backsliding in the country's history. The Varieties of Democracy Institute at Sweden's University of Gothenburg released its annual report concluding that the US has rapidly descended into autocratisation, surpassing the pace observed in Hungary and Turkey.
Unprecedented Democratic Erosion
"Our data on the USA extends back to 1789. What we're witnessing now represents the most severe magnitude of democratic backsliding ever recorded in the country," stated Staffan Lindberg, founder of the V-Dem Institute. The report indicates that US democracy has regressed to its worst level since 1965, effectively erasing all progress made since civil rights legislation established universal suffrage.
The institute employs 48 distinct metrics to evaluate democratic health, including freedom of expression, media independence, election quality, and rule of law adherence. Their comprehensive "liberal democracy index" reveals that the speed of democratic dismantling in America is unprecedented in modern history.
Concentration of Presidential Power
The primary factor driving this decline is what researchers describe as a "rapid and aggressive concentration of powers in the presidency." Congress has been effectively marginalized, undermining the crucial system of checks and balances that has traditionally safeguarded American democracy. Simultaneously, civil rights have deteriorated significantly, with freedom of expression reaching its lowest point since the 1940s.
During Donald Trump's first presidential year, he signed 225 executive orders while the Republican-controlled Congress passed only 49 new laws. "Most of Trump's executive orders carried substantial significance," Lindberg explained. "He shut down entire government departments, terminating hundreds of thousands of employees. Meanwhile, congressional legislation primarily involved minor modifications to existing laws."
Global Democratic Recession
Worldwide, democracy has retreated to levels not seen since the mid-1970s. A record 41% of the global population, approximately 3.4 billion people, now reside in countries experiencing democratic deterioration. The report identifies Washington as leading this global shift away from democratic governance.
"The world has never before witnessed as many countries autocratising simultaneously," Lindberg emphasized. Seven European Union member states—Hungary, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Italy, and Romania—are currently affected by autocratisation, while Portugal and Bulgaria have joined the institute's watchlist.
British Democratic Concerns
The United Kingdom has been classified as a "new autocratiser," driven by substantial declines in freedom of expression and media independence. Lindberg pointed to legislative developments including the Elections Act 2022, Policing Act 2022, Online Safety Act 2023, and Higher Education Act 2023 as contributing factors. "What's particularly concerning is that once democratic backsliding commences, it often proves difficult to halt," he noted.
Institutional Guardrails Removed
The report highlights systematic removal of internal safeguards designed to prevent federal government power abuse. "Trump has dismissed inspector generals and senior civil servants across departments, replacing them with loyalists," Lindberg stated. "This mirrors precisely what Orbán and Erdoğan implemented in their countries. They systematically eliminate constraints on executive power. It should be evident by now that Trump is pursuing dictatorship."
Electoral System Under Threat
While free and open elections continue in the United States with the electoral system remaining "stable for now," executive orders since Trump assumed power present new risks. Threats against election administrators and poll workers have become alarming, with reports indicating 40% of election workers have resigned since 2020.
"Trump never accepted his 2020 electoral defeat," Lindberg observed. "Why would he accept defeat now? If we witness denial of election results in 2026, that would constitute complete democratic breakdown."
Research Methodology and Credibility
The V-Dem Institute, founded in 2012, has evolved from studying democratisation to researching autocratisation as global trends shifted. Their core team of twelve researchers collaborates with 4,200 researchers across 180 countries, utilizing what they describe as the world's largest democracy dataset containing over 32 million data points spanning 202 countries and territories from 1789 to 2025.
"We maintain universal standards while incorporating local expertise to understand actual conditions," Lindberg explained. "Our reports are entirely scientific and research-driven, free from bias, state influence, political considerations, and general punditry."
European Vulnerabilities and Global Implications
The report cautions against assuming European immunity to democratic decline regardless of developments in Washington. "This represents a global trend," Lindberg emphasized. "Research clearly demonstrates that far-right movements, once attaining power, exhibit high probability of dismantling democratic institutions."
Across Europe, voters increasingly mobilize to elect their own versions of Trump despite the administration's threats to continental stability and persistent support for extremist parties undermining European cohesion. Establishment conservatives continue following this trajectory, hoping against evidence that outcomes will differ from previous authoritarian eras.
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Estonia, and Ireland currently top V-Dem's global democracy index for 2025, while only 18 countries worldwide demonstrate democratising trends—a historic low. The report concludes with stark numbers and unequivocal language highlighting the profound risks of current political trajectories.
