How much of the world today is governed democratically, and how much under authoritarian rule? Join us for a roundtable and launch of a democracy health check — Tyranny Tracker, followed by a keynote and expert discussion on what its findings reveal about the state of democracy worldwide.
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is presenting its recently launched Tyranny Tracker in The Hague, Netherlands.
Developed by HRF with support from The Reynolds Foundation, the Tyranny Tracker is an index that classifies political regimes using a unique methodology that evaluates indicators across three key pillars: electoral competition, freedom of dissent, and institutional accountability. The index classifies the world’s countries and territories as democratic, hybrid authoritarian, or fully authoritarian, providing a unique view of democracy globally.
This event will explore the Tyranny Tracker and feature a keynote address from Swazi Activist and Widow of Thulani Maseko, Tanele Maseko. The full agenda is available below:
- Opening remarks: Stephanie Triefus (Asser Institute)
- Keynote: Tanele Maseko (Swazi Activist and Widow of Thulani Maseko)
- Presentation of the Tyranny Tracker: Javier El-Hage (HRF Chief Legal and Policy Officer)
- Panel Discussion:
- Mohamed Keita (HRF Senior Policy Officer for Africa);
- Zara Rancheva (HRF Research Fellow for Europe and Central Asia);
- Alan Haji (Legal Director at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre);
- Malaak Jamal (Director of Policy and Research)
- [Moderator] Stephanie Triefus (Asser Institute);
More about the Tyranny Tracker
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) launched its flagship research project, the Tyranny Tracker, a qualitative index that classifies the world’s countries and territories as democratic, hybrid authoritarian, or fully authoritarian. This political regime assessment tool is now available to the public at a moment when tyranny is on the rise worldwide.
According to HRF’s Tyranny Tracker, 76% of the world’s population lives under authoritarianism, representing 102 countries and territories, or 6.3 billion people — a number that is partly explained by the hybrid authoritarian regimes of India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines, and by the fully authoritarian regimes of China, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Russia, and Vietnam, which rule over some of the world’s most populous countries.
The Tyranny Tracker classifies countries using a methodology consisting of 45 indicators categorised into three thematic pillars: electoral competition, freedom of dissent, and institutional accountability. The methodology is informed by academic literature and HRF’s 20 years of experience advocating on behalf of dissidents from countries ruled by authoritarian regimes. The research draws on a range of sources, including media, data collected by HRF’s in-house research team, an extensive human rights network, and expert advice.
