BTI 2020: The Transformation Index

The number of people who are governed poorly and less democratically is increasing worldwide. Since 2004, the index has assessed political and economic developments in developing and transition countries every two years. Of the 137 countries currently examined, the BTI classifies 74 as democracies and 63 as autocracies.

For the sixth time in a row, the ratings of Bertelsmann Stiftung's international Transformation Index (BTI) for the quality of democracy, market economy and governance have dropped, now to their lowest level since the BTI survey began.

The BTI is the result of the collaboration of nearly 300 country and regional experts from leading universities and think tanks worldwide. The project analyzes and compares transformation processes towards democracy and inclusive market economy worldwide. The BTI aims to identify successful strategies for steering change. The BTI is the only international comparative index that measures the quality of governance with self-assessed data and offers a comprehensive analysis of political management in transformation processes.