Polity IV facts for kids

The Polity IV scale is a way to measure how democratic or autocratic a country is. It looks at most countries around the world that have more than 500,000 people. Each year, countries get a score from -10 to +10. A higher score means the country is more democratic, while a lower score means it is more autocratic.

Countries are then placed into one of five groups based on their score. This helps us understand how much freedom and political power citizens have in different nations.

Understanding the Polity IV Scale

The Polity IV scale gives each country a score based on how its government works. A score of +10 means a country is a strong democracy, where people have many rights and can choose their leaders freely. A score of -10 means a country is a strong autocracy, where one person or a small group has all the power, and people have very few rights.

This scale helps experts track changes in how countries are governed over time. It shows if a country is becoming more democratic or more autocratic.

Full Democracies: Top Scores for Freedom

These countries get a score of 10. In a full democracy, citizens have many freedoms. They can vote for their leaders, express their opinions, and participate in their government. Laws are fair, and everyone is treated equally.

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• Japan

Democracies: Strong but Still Growing

These countries score between 6 and 9 points. They are mostly democratic, meaning people have a lot of say in their government. However, they might still face some challenges. These could be things like ensuring everyone can vote easily or protecting all types of freedoms.

• Mexico (8 points)
• Brazil (8 points)
• France (9 points)
• Turkey (9 points)
• India (9 points)

Open Anocracies: A Mix of Rules

Countries in this group score between 1 and 5 points. An "anocracy" means a country has a mix of democratic and autocratic features. In an open anocracy, there might be some elections or freedoms, but the government still has a lot of control. It's not fully free, but not fully controlled either.

• Venezuela (4 points)
• Nigeria (5 points)
• Russia (4 points)

Closed Anocracies: More Control, Less Freedom

These countries score between -1 and -5 points. They are also a mix, but they lean more towards being autocratic. This means the government has more control over people's lives. There might be some limited elections, but they are often not truly fair or free.

• Morocco (-3 points)
• Egypt (-3 points)
• Afghanistan (-1 point)

Autocracies: Few Freedoms, Strong Control

These countries score between -6 and -10 points. In an autocracy, one person or a small group holds all the power. Citizens have very few rights and little to no say in how their country is run. The government controls most aspects of life.

• Cuba (-7 points)
• Syria (-9 points)
• Iran (-7 points)
• China (-7 points)
• North Korea (-10 points)

Images for kids

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  Number of nations 1800–2003 scoring 8 or higher on the Polity IV scale, a measure of democracy.

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  World map showing findings from the Polity IV data series report for 2017.