By Erika Mae P. Sinaking
The Philippines fell sharply in a global democracy ranking, signaling deeper institutional strain even as democratic conditions elsewhere show signs of leveling off, according to the 2025 Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
“Across South and Southeast Asia, we will be watching the juxtaposition of rising civic participation with declining government accountability and civil liberties,” the research group said in its latest annual assessment.
“This reflects the democratic stress in political systems that remain open enough to generate protests but too institutionally weak to translate mobilization into reform. How this tension evolves will determine the future democratic outlook for Asia,” it added.
The Philippines dropped 11 places to 62nd out of 167 countries in the 2025 index, reversing gains recorded a year earlier. The country was named among the five worst performers globally in terms of score deterioration, underscoring renewed concerns over democratic erosion in Southeast Asia.
The Philippines’ overall score fell to 6.31 in 2025 from 6.63 in 2024, marking its steepest decline in recent years. The 2024 reading had already been the lowest in three years, only marginally above the 6.62 posted in 2021. The latest score places the country’s democratic standing at its weakest level since at least that year.
The Philippines kept its classification as a “flawed democracy,” a category it has occupied for several straight years alongside countries such as India and Sri Lanka. The reversal follows a brief rebound in 2024, when the country climbed two places to 51st.
Regionally, Asia and Australasia recorded an average score of 5.27 in 2025, down from 5.31 a year earlier. The decline marked the sixth straight annual fall, among the longest sustained regional downturns tracked by the index. The EIU identified South and Southeast Asia as the main sources of democratic stress.
The firm said the region faces a structural imbalance, where rising political participation coincides with weakening checks on government power and reduced civil liberties. That tension, it said, would shape Asia’s democratic trajectory in the years ahead.
The EIU also cited the growing use of digital repression across Asia, with governments expanding controls over online speech and access to information as instruments of governance. Civil society groups in the Philippines have issued similar warnings in past years, raising concerns over press freedom and the application of online regulations to suppress dissent.
Globally, democracy indicators showed signs of stabilizing. The worldwide average score edged up to 5.19 in 2025 from 5.17 in 2024, suggesting a possible pause in a multi‑year global decline. Seven countries shifted regime classifications during the year, with five moving to higher democratic categories.
The US stood out from the broader pattern, with its score declining after the return of Donald J. Trump to the presidency in January 2025, driven by weaker government functioning and constraints on civil liberties, the EIU said.
