PRETORIA, Sept. 17 – Democracy in Africa continued to decline between 2020 and 2025, driven by armed conflict, coups and restricted elections, according to the 2026 Global State of Democracy (GSoD) report published by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).
The report finds that Africa and West Asia recorded 106 significant declines in democratic performance, compared with only 53 advances over the period. Declines were concentrated in rights and representation, including elected government, access to justice, credible elections, effective parliament and civil liberties. These five factors alone accounted for 57 percent of all declines in the region.
The report, Global State of Democracy Report 2026: Democracy in an Age of Conflict, is being launched in Pretoria on September 18. International IDEA is an intergovernmental organisation of 35 member states based in Stockholm. The report can be accessed here.
In Burkina Faso and Niger, the report links the declines to the entrenchment of military rule, which has curtailed political freedoms and dissolved democratic institutions. In Togo, it cites alleged electoral irregularities, state repression of protests and attacks on press freedom.
Judicial independence also weakened across the continent between 2020 and 2025, a trend the report says was concentrated in Africa more than in any other region.
The report gives close attention to Tanzania’s 2025 election, citing the abduction and torture of opposition figures and civil society activists in the run-up to the vote, an internet shutdown on election day, and deadly violence against journalists and protesters. It also cites estimates that 700 people were killed in post-election violence.
Election observers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) reported incidents and threats of violence during voting, closing and counting, the disqualification of opposition candidates, and the detention and trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu on treason charges. SADC found that the election fell short of its Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. In February 2026, the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled Lissu’s detention unlawful and called for his release and compensation.
The report notes signs of progress in several countries. In Gabon, elected government advanced significantly after the country held its first elections since the 2023 coup that removed President Ali Bongo Ondimba. In The Gambia, freedom of expression improved markedly, supported by growing media pluralism and fewer attacks on journalists since the country’s 2021 Access to Information Law.
Southern Africa and West Asia together accounted for most of the region’s positive shifts. Cabo Verde, Ghana, Mauritius and South Africa are named as high performers in representation, while participation remains the region’s strongest category overall, with 69 percent of African countries scoring in the mid-range.
Syria accounts for close to a quarter of the region’s advances outside basic welfare, following the fall of the al-Assad regime in 2024 and early steps including transitional justice mechanisms and a more inclusive government. The report cautions that these gains remain fragile.
Conflict as a driver, but not the only one
Armed conflicts, including those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, are identified as major drivers of decline, with the report citing allegations of genocide, widespread sexual violence, media bans, and damage to medical infrastructure and food supplies. But the report stresses that conflict is not the only cause: unconstitutional changes of government, particularly in West Africa, have also played a significant role.
Looking ahead
The report warns that armed conflict and insecurity will continue to shape democracy’s prospects across Africa and West Asia, with rising fuel prices set to worsen economic inequality in vulnerable East African economies.
Globally, International IDEA’s policy recommendations call on governments, donors and civil society to treat democracy support as a core pillar of national security, invest in social cohesion and accountability, and direct resources quickly to countries where democratic decline raises the risk of conflict.
“Democracy’s decline is no longer just about national political rights; it is reshaping the conditions for peace and security around the world. Investing in democracy is also investing in peace,” said Dr Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General of International IDEA.
The report points to South Africa’s own democratic transition in the early 1990s as evidence that sustained support for elections, institutions and civil society can help countries move from conflict to stable, peaceful governance.
Key findings
- Rule of Law was the weakest-performing category overall, with 71 countries, or 41 percent of those assessed, in the low-performance band. It also recorded more declines than any other democratic performance category, with 29 countries, or 17 percent, registering downturns. Judicial independence was among the worst hit.
- Southern Africa is the African subregion that experienced the largest number of advances in democratic indicators, including credible elections, elected government, effective parliament, civil society and civil liberties.
- Under the category of Rights, Freedom of Expression saw the most widespread decline, falling in 42 countries, or 24 percent of all countries assessed. Freedom of the Press also deteriorated sharply, declining in 23 percent of countries. Access to Justice fell in 18 percent of countries, underscoring pressure on core democratic rights and protections.
- Representation remains democracy’s strongest-performing category globally, but its overall trend is still negative, recording 17 declines and only four advances between 2020 and 2025—reflecting deterioration in both electoral integrity and legislative oversight. Credible Elections deteriorated in nearly one in five countries worldwide (32 countries, or 18 percent), while Effective Parliament deteriorated in 33 countries, or 19 percent.
Background
The GSoD 2026 Report ranks countries in four major categories of democratic performance rather than assigning one overall classification. These four categories are:
- Representation—such as credible elections and effective parliamentary oversight.
- Rule of Law—such as judicial independence and the degree to which people are free from political violence.
- Rights—such as freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly.
- Participation—such as how involved citizens are in democratic expression during and between elections.
- These four categories are divided into 17 factors, such as credible elections and judicial independence. Details on the research methodology are available here.
