By Erika Mae P. Sinaking, A reporter
The Philippines has dropped the most in the world’s democracy rankings, showing deep institutional difficulties as democratic conditions elsewhere show signs of decline, according to the 2025 Democracy Index of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
“Across South and Southeast Asia, we will be seeing a combination of rising civic engagement and declining government accountability and civil liberties,” the research group said in its latest annual survey.
“This reflects the suppression of democracy in political systems that are always open enough to create protests but in institutions that are too weak to turn popular mobilization into change. How this tension plays out will determine the future of democracy in Asia,” it added.
The Philippines dropped 11 places to 62 out of 167 countries in the 2025 index, reversing the gains recorded last year. The country has been named as one of the world’s five worst performing countries in terms of degradation scores, underscoring new concerns about the erosion of democracy in Southeast Asia.
The Philippines’ overall score dropped to 6.31 in 2025 from 6.63 in 2024, marking its biggest drop in recent years. The 2024 reading was already the lowest in three years, just slightly above the 6.62 posted in 2021. The latest scores put the country’s democratic standing at its weakest level since at least that year.
The Philippines has maintained its classification as a “flawed democracy,” a category it has held for several years in a row with countries such as India and Sri Lanka. The change follows a brief rebound in 2024, when the country moved up two places to 51.
By region, Asia and Australasia recorded an average score of 5.27 in 2025, down from 5.31 last year. The decline marked the sixth consecutive decline, among the longest regional declines tracked by the index. The EIU identified South and Southeast Asia as the main sources of democratic stress.
The company said the region is facing structural imbalances, where increased political participation is accompanied by reduced checks on government power and reduced civil liberties. That tension, he said, will shape the path of Asian democracy in the coming years.
The EIU also cited the increasing use of digital repression across Asia, with governments increasing controls over online speech and access to information as administrative tools. Civil society groups in the Philippines have issued similar warnings over the years, raising concerns about media freedom and the use of internet laws to suppress dissent.
Globally, democracy indicators have shown signs of stabilization. The global average score rose to 5.19 in 2025 from 5.17 in 2024, suggesting a possible halt in the world’s multi-year decline. Seven countries moved to higher levels of government during the year, and five to higher levels of democracy.
The US stood out from the broader pattern, as its score fell after Donald J. Trump’s return to the presidency in January 2025, driven by weak government performance and restrictions on civil liberties, the EIU said.
