US democratic decline threatens global rule of law, report warns

A new report by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) warns that the United States is accelerating the global decline of the rule of law. The study found that nearly half of US democracy indicators have fallen to 50-year lows between 2020 and 2025, with significant drops in judicial independence and credible elections. The report identifies the US as a prominent example of democratic erosion, noting that its retreat from democratic norms has strained multilateral institutions and emboldened authoritarian leaders. Specific examples cited include the Trump administration's actions regarding executive power, press freedom, academic freedom, and the use of the immigration system. This global weakening of democracy is linked to an increased risk of violent conflict, with 2025 seeing the most recorded violent conflicts since 1946.

A report by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International Idea) indicates that key democracy indicators in the US have reached their lowest levels in 50 years. The report, which covers 174 countries, also shows that global rule of law, judicial independence, credible elections, freedom of expression, press freedom, and access to justice are at their lowest in at least 30 years. International Idea attributes these declines, particularly in the US, to the Trump administration's "threats and actions," which have undermined the rule of law domestically and internationally. This marks the eleventh consecutive year where more countries have declined democratically than improved, a trend the report states was exemplified and compounded by political developments in the United States. The thinktank added the US to its list of "backsliding" democracies for the first time in 2021, noting a deterioration that began in 2019.