The yearly Democracy Index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has seen Thailand’s ranking fall by eight places, a change largely ascribed to the latest government formation by unelected senators rather than voters.
The EIU placed Thailand in the 63rd position among 167 countries and territories in 2023, a drop from its 55th position in 2022. The country’s score also saw a decrease from 6.67 to 6.35 points.
The EIU’s annual evaluation rates countries on a zero to 10 scale. Any country scoring above eight is classified as a full democracy, whereas those with scores under four are considered authoritarian regimes. With scores ranging between six and eight, Thailand joins the broad category of flawed democracies.
The top five positions on the index were dominated by Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden, and Finland, respectively,…
