Cuba remains one of the most authoritarian regimes in the world, according to the 2024 Democracy Index

Cuba remained one of the most authoritarian regimes in the world, according to the 2024 Democracy Index published by the Intelligence Unit of the British publication The Economist (EIU), which evaluates the state of democracy in 165 independent states and two territories of the world.

With a rating of 2.58 out of 10, the island is located in position 135 of the 167 evaluated just like the previous year, evidencing its stagnation in a restrictive political model that continues to limit civil freedoms and political participation.

To evaluate democracy, several elements such as the electoral and pluralism process, the functioning of the government, political participation, political culture and civil freedoms are taken into account. According to the result, the country is classified as «full democracy», «defective democracy», «hybrid regime» or «authoritarian regime.»

The absence of free elections in the country, the unique party system, control over private entrepreneurship and citizen participation in politics, limits to critical thinking and public debate, censorship, and restrictions on freedom of expression, meeting and press remain a daily reality and place the island in the category of “authoritarian regime”, together with Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua in America and the Caribbean. In the world, 60 countries are classified as well. In 2014 there were 52.

The report shows a decline in democracy at a general level. The quality emperor in 130 countries and there has been an advance of authoritarianism.

«Today less than half of the world’s population lives in a democracy of some kind (45%), compared to 48% in 2014,» says the report, which mentions that authoritarian regimes have tended to «become even more authoritarian as time passes,» the text picks up.

«The inclination of autocratic rulers is not to fulfill popular aspirations of change democratizing aspects of their political systems, but to deepen and take harder measures against any sign of dissent,» he says.

Latin America and the Caribbean mark the ninth consecutive year of democratic setback. Of the 24 countries evaluated, 17 worsened their scores and only five showed improvements.

«The health of democracy in the region is in an unfortunate state,» says the report, which cites «the most shameless example of antidemocratic behavior» to what happened in Venezuela where «the authoritarian regime of President Nicolás Maduro promised in flagrant fraud to deny the presidency to the opposition candidate Edmundo González.»