The Global Electoral Report 2025 has been published and raises concerns about the state of democracy around the world during 2024’s ‘Super Cycle’ of elections.
Described by Time Magazine as the ‘Year of Elections’, 2024 saw 1.6 billion people head to the polls across 74 national elections in 62 countries - an unprecedented concentration of democratic activity in a single year.
But a global report from the Electoral Integrity Project, released today, paints a mixed and often troubling picture of how those elections were conducted.
While countries like Iceland (best) Uruguay, Lithuania, and Finland were recognised for holding the highest quality elections, others - including Syria (worst), Rwanda, Chad, Iran, and Belarus - ranked at the bottom, continuing longstanding trends of electoral malpractice.
Out of the 62 countries evaluated, 21 saw improvements in election quality compared to previous contests, but 33 experienced declines.
Two standout cases of electoral strengthening were Ghana and Mauritius, where reforms and improved practices bolstered electoral integrity.
Democratic backsliding in major democracies
Among the most concerning findings were notable declines in electoral quality in established and emerging democracies, including Mexico, the UK, the US, India, and Indonesia.
Mexico’s 2024 elections marked a historic milestone with the election of Claudia Sheinbaum as the country’s first female president. But this was accompanied by a sharp decline in electoral integrity - particularly in adjudication and election administration. Concerns included the fairness of officials, misuse of state resources, and compromised electoral boundaries. Failed and controversial reforms to the National Electoral Institute, judicial politicization, and widespread electoral violence contributed to an atmosphere of insecurity. Widespread protests erupted throughout the year in response to controversial electoral reforms proposed by the president.
In the United Kingdom, newly implemented photo ID requirements were found to restrict access to the ballot box, disproportionately affecting marginalized voters. Moreover, the country’s first-past-the-post electoral system produced a government with 63 per cent of parliamentary seats from just 34 per cent of the popular vote - a level of disproportionality that drew international criticism.
The US 2024 presidential election saw notable declines in electoral integrity, particularly in participation and deliberation. While vote counting and procedural aspects showed strength, the integrity of electoral boundaries, media coverage, and campaign finance remained significant concerns, with gerrymandering and disinformation continuing to undermine democratic confidence.
India’s 2024 general election saw a slight decline in electoral integrity, particularly in adjudication and perceptions of election management. Concerns were raised over the impartiality of the Election Commission following a 2023 legal change giving the executive significant influence over appointments - heightened by the timing of new appointments just before the polls. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power, its reduced majority led to the formation of a coalition government.
Indonesia experienced a significant decline in the fairness of candidate competition and election adjudication, raising red flags about the country’s democratic trajectory.
Media and money still weakest links
The report underscores persistent global problems in the campaign environment, particularly in campaign financing and media access, which received the lowest scores across electoral stages.
Conversely, vote counting and results adjudication were among the better-performing aspects of elections.
The nature of the problems varies enormously across countries. It shows that elections are only as strong as their weakest part. During an age of global uncertainty, policymakers must use this data to redress electoral flaws, and civil society must demand better elections.
The report comes ahead of the Electoral integrity Project’s annual conference which runs from July 7-10. Registration is open to all: https://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/ieip2025.
The World of Electoral Integrity
The Electoral Integrity Project has now made a data visualisation tool to allow citizens journalists and policy makers to view election quality around the world at a glance:
https://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/the-world-of-electoral-integrity