A majority of the countries in South America are ranked as electoral democracies, where free and fair multi-party elections exist, but there is a lack of equality before the law and and individual and minority rights. Uruguay and Chile were classified as liberal democracies, whereas Venezuela was ranked as an electoral autocracy.
Number of countries in South America from 1990 to 2022, by regime type
Regime type
Liberal democracies
Electoral democracies
Electoral autocracies
Closed autocracies
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The V-Dem Institute defines the different regimes as follows:
Closed autocracy: citizens do not have the right to choose either the chief executive of the government or the legislature through multi-party elections.
Electoral autocracy: citizens have the right to choose the chief executive and the legislature through multi-party elections; but they lack some freedoms, such as the freedoms of association or expression that make the elections meaningful, free, and fair.
Electoral democracy: citizens have the right to choose the chief executive and the legislature in meaningful, free and fair, and multi-party elections.
Liberal democracy: electoral democracy and citizens enjoy individual and minority rights, are equal before the law, and the actions of the executive are constrained by the legislative and the courts.
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OWID. (March 2, 2023). Number of countries in South America from 1990 to 2022, by regime type [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1379547/countries-south-america-regime-type/
OWID. "Number of countries in South America from 1990 to 2022, by regime type." Chart. March 2, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1379547/countries-south-america-regime-type/
OWID. (2023). Number of countries in South America from 1990 to 2022, by regime type. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1379547/countries-south-america-regime-type/
OWID. "Number of Countries in South America from 1990 to 2022, by Regime Type." Statista, Statista Inc., 2 Mar 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1379547/countries-south-america-regime-type/
OWID, Number of countries in South America from 1990 to 2022, by regime type Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1379547/countries-south-america-regime-type/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Number of countries in South America from 1990 to 2022, by regime type [Graph], OWID, March 2, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1379547/countries-south-america-regime-type/