India and the Global Democratic Backslide: Insights From Freedom In the World 2026 Report |
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New Delhi: Freedom House’s 2026 edition of Freedom in the World report, “The Growing Shadow of Autocracy,” presents a sobering account of the state of political rights and civil liberties around the world. The report finds that global freedom has declined for the 20th consecutive year, with 54 countries experiencing a degradation of civil rights over the past year, and freedom media, personal expression, and due process facing substantive setbacks. This concerning trend emphasises the steady erosion of democratic safeguards worldwide, and comes in the wake of a politically tumultuous year, rife with violent and armed conflicts, human rights violations, coups d’état, extrajudicial persecution of dissidents, and insidious attempts at undermining the rule of law.
Fewer Democratising States, More Autocrats, Photo: Freedom House, “Freedom in the World 2026: The Growing Shadow of Autocracy.”
As per the report, “Since 2005, Partly Free countries have been much less likely to consolidate their democracies and much more likely to experience substantial deterioration in freedoms.”
The report evaluates the state of freedom in 195 countries and 13 territories by grouping indicators into two categories- political rights (0-40) and civil liberties (0-60), whose totals are used to determine whether a country is “Free,” “Partly Free,” or “Not Free.”
Over the last 20 years, 19 “Partly Free” countries have dropped to “Not Free.” India, which continues to be classified as “Partly Free,” holds a score of 62 out of 100 in 2026, one point lower than the previous year, reflecting enduring democratic struggles and heightening concerns over the nature of civil liberties and rights afforded to citizens.
India’s score in comparison to other countries, Photo: Freedom House, “Freedom in the World 2026: The Growing Shadow of Autocracy.”
Although India persists as a multiparty democracy – constitutionally enshrining values like liberty, equality, and justice – an advent of discriminatory policies and the mounting persecution of minority groups like Muslims has brought India’s status as a free country into question. The report notes that harassment of journalists, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government critics, and political opponents has significantly increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure, while marginalised groups like Muslims, scheduled castes, and scheduled tribes continue to remain economically and socially disadvantaged.
There has been a sustained long-term drop in India’s democratic indicators, with Freedom House noting a 14-point loss since 2005. While elections remain competitive and legislative procedures are generally regarded as free and fair, the study calls attention to several instances of executive manoeuvring and implementation of statutes that catalyse democratic backsliding, leading to India’s downgrade from “Free” to “Partly Free” in 2020 and its continued placement in the category. Despite outward perceptions of impartial electoral procedures and due processes, subversive steps have been consistently taken over the past year to sway political decisions and participation in the favour of the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Polls and obfuscation
The report highlights the 2025 NDA win at the Bihar polls, securing 203 of 243 seats in the assembly, and the questions raised by opposition leaders over large-scale voter roll manipulation. It accentuates the opposition’s allegations of using Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter list and deletion of large numbers of voters from the roll as tactics to disenfranchise Muslim and minority voters in Bihar and 12 other states and territories, excessive and unfair verification requirements barring eligible voters from registering. Furthermore, the report alludes to the opaque financing of political parties via electoral bonds, permitting disclosure of donor identities to the State Bank of India but not the public, a system that has disproportionately benefited the BJP. Following a 2024 Supreme Court ruling disallowing the scheme, donors turned to electoral trusts, wherein donor identities are disclosed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) but remain inaccessible to the public.
The study also mentions measures taken to weaken political pluralism. Over the last few years, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) has pursued multiple anticorruption investigations against opposition members while staunchly overlooking misdeeds of political allies. It notes, “Among the 121 political leaders investigated by the ED between 2014 and 2024, 115 belonged to opposition parties. 23 out of 25 opposition leaders accused of corruption who later joined the ruling BJP saw their cases dropped or resolved in their favour.” These disturbing statistics reveal large-scale political corruption and malfeasance, especially in light of investigative reports revealing the misuse of electoral bonds by corporations to channel funds to political parties, often followed by policy changes in their favour.
In recent years the practice of “resort politics” has gained eminence. The study recalls the isolation of 38 municipal-level opposition members in Andhra Pradesh in March 2025, so as to prevent defections to the NDA in light of an upcoming no-confidence motion. Thousands of Right to Information (RTI) requests go unanswered each year, with noncompliant officers rarely held accountable. The governmental exemption of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team and the Security and Exchange Board from complying with the RTI Act further exacerbates concerns surrounding transparency, permitting the withholding of public information in the name of confidentiality. These steps cumulatively impact the vitality of representation and transparency within political systems, detracting from fair and equal political rights.
Despite women and members of religious and ethnic minorities voting in large numbers, women’s representation in the Lok Sabha remains low (14%), four seats lower than the number secured by women in 2019. Additionally, Muslim candidates hold merely 24 seats as of the 2024 general elections, 4% of the lower house seats when Muslims make up approximately 14.2 percent of the population as per the last population census. The last population census was held in 2011, thus these statistics are expected to have multiplied considerably since. Issues of waning political pluralism and inadequate representation are aggravated by frequent attacks on freedom of expression and belief.
The report assesses the status of press and religious freedom as markers of civil liberties in a country. India scores low on both counts, with a dramatic escalation in assaults against journalists and self-censorship due to the fear of being labelled as “antinational.” It adds, “Revelations of close relationships between politicians, business executives, and lobbyists on one hand, and leading media personalities and owners of media outlets on the other, have dented public confidence in the press.” Moreover, “bulldozer justice,” the targeted illegal demolition of buildings and houses specifically impacting marginalised communities, was widely employed in 2025 by several states in spite of the Supreme Court order ruling the practice as unconstitutional in 2024.
Violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims broke out in Nagpur in March 2025 when Hindu nationalists demanded the removal of a former Muslim ruler’s tomb. A six-day curfew was imposed in the city, with several Muslim residents reporting incidents of harassment, evictions, and threats. Discriminatory and pejorative behaviour against Muslims crucially hiked after the April 2025 attacks by terrorists on tourists in Kashmir. “According to data collected by the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH), there was a 97% increase in the number of anti-Muslim hate speech events documents between 2023 and 2025,” the study states. In addition, the violent conflict between the predominantly Hindu Meitei and Christian Kuki communities continued throughout 2025, even though the President’s Rule was invoked in February 2025. These events of communal violence greatly lowered the trust in and sanctity of civil liberties in India.
Lastly, the report also evaluates the impact of the government’s new criminal laws on individuals’ ability to discuss personal and political views without fear of retribution and the prevalence of due process in civil and criminal matters. The controversial 2024 criminal laws increase the amount of time an individual can be held without trial up to 90 days, and give the government undue power to prosecute dissidents. Furthermore, the justice system is severely backlogged with several people facing lengthy pretrial detention periods based on vaguely defined charges. Therefore, political rights and civil liberties, encompassing electoral processes, political pluralism, freedom of expression, rule of law, and unbiased functioning of governmental bodies, although theoretically present in India face growing pressures and impediments.
Largest one-year gains and declines in 2025, Photo: Freedom House, “Freedom in the World 2026: The Growing Shadow of Autocracy.”
India’s democratic backslide is part of a global trend, wherein declines in political rights and civil liberties have continually outpaced gains. This abrasion of freedom has impacted over 40% of the world’s population with Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, and Madagascar experiencing the highest one-year percentage drops in 2025. The United States lost three points on the 100-point scale this year, bringing its total drop to twelve points since 2005. This decrease is significant as it follows the US’ cancellation of large foreign aid programs, withdrawal from international organisations, and a step back from condemning fraudulent elections. European countries have also followed suit with a sharp decrease in foreign democracy aid. The 2026 Freedom in the World report warns readers about the adverse effects of countries moving away from long-standing principles of guarding democratic procedures at a time of decline in global freedom, risking a precarious future dominated by autocracies and subverted liberties.
Ritvi Jain is an editorial intern at The Wire.