Fact check: How does the US democracy ranking compare to other developed countries in 2024?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the 2024 Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the United States ranks 28th globally and is classified as a "flawed democracy" ^{[1] [2]}. This classification has been consistent since 2016, indicating persistent democratic challenges ^[3]. The US ranking remained unchanged in 2024, suggesting no improvement in its democratic performance ^{[1] [2]}.

In comparison to other developed regions, Western Europe significantly outperforms the US, having the highest index score of any region globally ^[1]. Western Europe was notably the only region to improve its overall democracy score in 2024, while the US stagnated ^{[1] [2]}. Norway ranks as the highest-performing democracy both in Western Europe and globally, providing a stark contrast to the US position ^[1].

The Democracy Index evaluates 165 independent states and two territories, categorizing them into four regime types: "full democracy," "flawed democracy," "hybrid regime," or "authoritarian regime" ^[3]. The US falls into the second tier, indicating substantial democratic deficiencies compared to top-performing nations.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial contextual elements that provide a more complete picture of US democratic standing:

• Specific factors contributing to the "flawed democracy" classification include partisan polarization, erosion of democratic institutions, and growing disparities in wealth and political influence ^[4]. These systemic issues explain why the US underperforms relative to other developed nations.
• International perception data reveals significant skepticism about US democracy globally. A survey of 24 countries shows that 46% of respondents believe democracy works poorly in the US, with only 49% holding a favorable view of the country overall ^[5]. There is widespread international agreement about strong partisan conflicts within the US ^[5].
• The global democratic context shows that 2024 marked a historic low for worldwide democracy scores, with more than one-third of the global population living under authoritarian rule ^[2]. This suggests the US democratic challenges occur within a broader pattern of global democratic decline.
• Regional performance variations demonstrate that while the US struggles, Western Europe bucked the global trend by improving its democratic performance in 2024 ^{[1] [2]}, indicating that democratic backsliding is not inevitable for developed nations.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself does not contain explicit misinformation, as it simply asks for comparative information. However, the framing could potentially mislead by:

• Implying the US might rank favorably among developed countries without acknowledging the established fact that it has been classified as a "flawed democracy" for nearly a decade since 2016 ^[3].
• Failing to specify measurement criteria, which could allow for cherry-picking favorable metrics while ignoring comprehensive assessments like the Democracy Index that reveal significant democratic deficiencies.
• Not acknowledging the consistency of poor performance - the US ranking remained unchanged in 2024, indicating persistent rather than temporary democratic challenges ^{[1] [2]}.

The question's neutral tone could inadvertently suggest uncertainty about US democratic performance when multiple sources consistently document its classification as a "flawed democracy" with a 28th global ranking ^{[1] [2]}.