Bangladesh is still classified under the "hybrid regime" category, meaning substantial irregularities often prevent elections from being free and fair.
In the region of Asia and Australasia, Bangladesh ranked 15th while neighbouring India ranked 8th, according to the latest edition of the Democracy Index published by Economist Intelligence (EIU).
Bangladesh ranked 75th in the 2021 index, but it's score has remained 5.99 for the last three years.
The report also revealed that the long decline of global democracy has somewhat stalled in 2022.
The developed countries of western Europe dominate among the world's "full democracies", accounting for 14 of the total of 24 in 2022, reveals the report made public recently.
Canada is the sole "full democracy" in North America, as the US continues to languish as a "flawed democracy", where it was relegated in 2016.
Asia and Australasia has five "full democracies", including three Asian ones--Japan, South Korea and Taiwan-- alongside Australia and New Zealand.
Three Latin American countries are classed as "full democracies"--Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay-- as is one African country, Mauritius.
