The state of democracy in Mexico improved slightly in 2025 — President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first full year in office — compared to 2024, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), an intergovernmental organization.
On Tuesday, the Stockholm-based organization released its annual report on the state of democracy in more than 170 countries around the world.
This year’s report, “The Global State of Democracy 2026,” is subtitled “Democracy in an Age of Conflict” in recognition of the wars currently being fought in various parts of the world. It focuses on the state of democracy in countries around the world in 2025.
International IDEA scores and ranks countries in four different democracy-related categories: representation, rights, rule of law and participation.
Compared to 2024, Mexico’s score improved in two of the four categories, declined in one and was unchanged in another. Mexico rose in the rankings in two categories, but fell in the other two. Its combined score across the four categories increased by 0.008 points to 1.778 out of 4 in 2025 from 1.770 in 2024.
In December 2024, less than three months after she was sworn in as president, Sheinbaum said that Mexico was “perhaps” the most democratic country in the world given that it would hold judicial elections in 2025.
However, International IDEA’s latest report indicates that Mexico is far from a global beacon of democracy. In the four categories assessed by the intergovernmental organization, Mexico is among the top 100 countries in just one of them.
However, the slight improvement in the state of democracy in Mexico in 2025, according to International IDEA, is, of course, preferable to a decline. The quality of democracy in many other countries is on the wane, according to the intergovernmental organization.
In the executive summary of its report, International IDEA wrote that in 2025, “the global challenges to democracy and the difficulty in stemming its erosion were both exemplified and compounded by political developments in the United States.”
“There, President Donald Trump quickly amassed power in the executive branch and wielded it to further a narrow set of personal goals and pursue retaliation against perceived enemies,” International IDEA said.
The intergovernmental organization also said that “Latin America has become the most politically polarized region in the world after a rapid rise in polarization over the past decade.”
“Highly contentious issues such as the economy, migration, and insecurity, as well as the increasing success of anti-establishment politicians who capitalize on divisive identity-based narratives and ‘us versus them’ politics, have contributed to an erosion of democratic dialogue,” International IDEA said.
Almost two years into her six-year term, Sheinbaum remains a very popular president, according to poll results.
However, there is political polarization in Mexico, and a significant number of Mexicans believe that the state of democracy in Mexico has declined during the presidencies of Sheinbaum and her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador as a result of government-led initiatives such as the disbandment of various autonomous agencies and the election of judges affiliated with, or seen as sympathetic to, the ruling Morena party.
Mexico’s scores and rankings in the four democracy-related categories assessed by International IDEA are outlined below.
Representation: Mexico’s score and ranking declined
According to International IDEA, in the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices, “Representation” is an aggregate measure of the extent of representative democracy, built from component measures of credible elections, inclusive suffrage, freedom to organize through political parties, the effectiveness of the legislature, and the practice of democracy at the local level.
Mexico scored 0.550 out of 1 on this measure to rank 83rd out of 173 countries.
Mexico’s score declined by 0.003 points compared to 2024, while it fell one spot in the rankings.
Nevertheless, Mexico achieved its best score and ranking in this category.
Mexico’s score in 2025 was on par with those of Paraguay and Hungary.
The top three countries in this category were Denmark, Germany and Costa Rica.
The United States ranked 51st while Canada ranked 25th.
Rights: Mexico’s score was unchanged, but its ranking declined
According to International IDEA, the “Rights” category is made up of liberal and social rights that support both fair representation and accountability. It is built upon four component measures — Access to Justice; Civil Liberties, including Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Association and Assembly, Freedom of Religion, and Freedom of Movement; Basic Welfare; and Political Equality, including Gender Equality, Social Group Equality, and Economic Equality.
Mexico scored 0.407 out of 1 on this measure to rank 111th out of the 173 countries assessed.
Mexico’s score was unchanged compared to 2024, while it fell one spot in the rankings.
Mexico ranked one spot above Burkina Faso in this category and one position below Qatar.
The top three countries in this category were Denmark, Switzerland and Germany.
The United States ranked 42nd while Canada ranked 27th.
Rule of law: Mexico’s score and ranking improved
According to International IDEA, in the GSoD Indices, “Rule of Law” is an aggregate measure that includes assessments of the independence of the judiciary from government influence, the extent to which public administrators use their offices for personal gain, the predictability of law enforcement, and the degree to which people are free from political violence. Overall, the index provides a snapshot of the extent to which everyone is subject to the law and the level of safety that exists.
Mexico scored 0.370 out of 1 on this measure to rank 112th.
Mexico’s score increased 0.009 points compared to 2024, while it rose seven positions in the rankings.
Mexico ranked one spot above Thailand in this category and one position below Ukraine.
The top three countries in this category were Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
The United States ranked 37th while Canada ranked 26th.
Participation: Mexico’s score and ranking improved
According to International IDEA, in the GSoD Indices, “Participation” is an aggregate measure of the extent to which people are actively involved at all levels of government. It is comprised of three factors that measure the space for civil society to operate freely (Civil Society), the extent to which people engage in political and non-political associations and trade unions (Civic Engagement), and voter turnout (Electoral Participation).
Mexico scored 0.451 out of 1 on this measure to rank 120th.
Mexico’s score increased 0.002 points compared to 2024, while it rose four positions in the rankings.
Mexico’s score in 2025 was on par with that of Papua New Guinea.
The top three countries in this category were Denmark, Switzerland and Norway.
The United States ranked 19th while Canada ranked 32nd.
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