Trump brings the United States democracy to its historical minimum in half a century
The setback in the North American country creates a global contagion with nearly 60% of countries with democratic deteriorations
BarcelonaDemocracy is at a low point globally and especially in the United States, where the return of Donald Trump to the White House has caused an "unprecedented" democratic backsliding. This is indicated by the report from the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), which confirms a global deterioration of democracy, with special emphasis on the North American country, where various indicators, such as freedom of the press or judicial independence, have plummeted to their lowest levels in 50 years.
The analysis warns that the erosion of democracy in the United States "has manifested itself most spectacularly" with Trump's second term. It attributes the decline to the fact that the US president has concentrated power in the executive branch and "has used it to promote personal goals and take reprisals against those he considers his enemies". In this context marked by a reduction of space for public expression and institutional mechanisms for controlling power, "resistance increasingly involves risks", the report underscores.
The erosion of democracy in the United States has a domino effect globally, according to the report. Washington's withdrawal from the rules-based international order has weakened trust in multilateralism, has "emboldened" authoritarian and populist leaders, and has affected the "resilience of democracies", says the document, which notes that this has caused a deterioration of the rule of law in the country.
Nearly 60% of countries are suffering setbacks
The rule of law, citizen representation, and human rights are suffering a generalized deterioration on a global scale, to the point that 98 of the countries analyzed –57% of the total– have experienced a decline in at least one of the indicators regarding the state of democracy compared to levels from five years ago. Conversely, only 55 countries –32% of the total– have advanced in at least one of the indicators. The increase in countries where a worsening of democratic indicators has been recorded is substantial compared to ten years ago: in 2015, the figure was 32%.
Furthermore, the analysis warns that the ones worsening are key indicators in democracies, such as having credible elections, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, or access to a legal system that seeks to guarantee justice. Freedom of speech is the one that fares the worst: it is the indicator that falls the most from a global perspective, in a total of 42 countries. It is followed by freedom of the press, which decreases in 23% of countries, and access to justice, which worsens in 18% of countries. The report also warns that civil society participation is "suffering" due to the "widespread use" of lawsuits aimed at deterring it or due to the "criminalization of peaceful protests".
In Europe, the setbacks in the state of democracy are concentrated in countries like Georgia, Russia, and Slovakia. Conversely, Poland and the Czech Republic are the ones recording improvements in democratic governance and institutional accountability. In the case of the Americas, if the United States is excluded, the report points to an improvement in the state of democracy in Brazil, Guatemala, and Honduras, but highlights that concern remains regarding democratic setbacks and organized crime in several countries in the region.
In Asia and the Pacific, the declines slightly exceed the advances, especially due to the erosion in Afghanistan and Myanmar. In contrast, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are the countries in the region that have improved the most regarding democratic indicators. In Africa and Western Asia, there have been more democratic setbacks than advances. The analysis shows special concern for the military governments of Burkina Faso and Niger, and the other side of the coin is Syria, with improvements in different democratic indicators.
The consequence: more violent conflicts?
After decades of relative peace, the report focuses on the possible relationship between the erosion of democracy and violent conflicts. 2025 was the year with the most open conflicts since 1946, the year records began. The link between the two factors is "complex," says the report, which notes that the deterioration of the state of democracy has not led to conflicts around the world, but rather a multiplication of conflicts in countries and regions that were already affected by conflicts in the past.
While the analysis notes that "democracy always leads to more peace," it warns that the relationship between democracy and conflict is not linear. "Where democracy indicators are low, more democracy is associated with more war".