To rank the countries the EIU gives a score out of 10 for a number of categories, such as political participation and the functioning of government, then classifies each country as either full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime or authoritarian.

What should I read next?

• Australia slips in global corruption rank
• Melbourne loses title of most liveable city to Vienna

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This is part of a daily series featuring charts which tell a story. If you know of some data that fits the bill, we’d love to hear about it.

• The OECD country that imprisons more journalists than China
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• Eight countries have more nuclear weapons than North Korea

via Chart of the day: Europe dominates top of democracy index, North Korea lags in last – Politics – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)