Hong Kong ties Namibia and Paraguay as ‘flawed democracies’ as city falls on global index
China – along with the rest of Asia – also dips on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual rankings
Hong Kong’s democratic standing tumbled three places in 2017 to hit a five-year low, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Democracy Index released on Wednesday.
The city ranked 71 out of the 165 independent states and two territories assessed annually by the British research group, down from 68 a year ago.
Nabbing an overall score of 6.31 out of 10, the Special Administrative Region retained its status as one of 57 “flawed democracies” and was tied in rank with Namibia and Paraguay.
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“Hybrid regimes” – scoring greater than 4 and less than or equal to 6 – include Thailand (107) and Bangladesh (92).
“Authoritarian regimes” – with scores less than or equal to 4 – include North Korea (167), China (139), Russia (135), Cambodia (123) and Myanmar.
