German study finds democracies declining worldwide, autocracies rise

Democracies are in the minority in developing and emerging countries, according to an international analysis by Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation. The study, which is to be discussed with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Monday and fully published on Tuesday, found 63 democracies in the world with a total population of about 3 billion, compared to 74 autocratically ruled states with a combined population of around 4 billion. Bertelsmann's "Transformation Index 2024" with the title "Democracy is increasingly losing ground around the world" is the 10th such study over the past 20 years. The re...