GLOSSARY
Hybrid regime: the middle category where transitions concentrate
Updated August 2, 2026
Between a flawed democracy and an electoral autocracy lies a zone where elections are held but the outcome is almost always a foregone conclusion. It is the most unstable of the four categories used by EIU, and the one where 2025 saw more status changes than any other band of the index.
What it is
An intermediate category between democracy and autocracy: it features formally competitive multi-party elections, but with conditions systematically stacked against the opposition — media control, misuse of state resources, a non-independent judiciary, intimidation of opponents — sufficient to make the outcome predictable without the process being a complete sham. It is the most unstable of the four categories in EIU's taxonomy, the one where the most year-on-year movement concentrates.
The picture as of 2025
According to EIU, four countries moved from "hybrid regime" to "flawed democracy" in 2025: Romania (69th), Malawi (70th), Senegal (72nd), Paraguay (73rd). In the opposite direction, Moldova slipped into the hybrid category in 2025. Statista, based on V-Dem data, reports that roughly a third of the world's countries were classified as electoral democracies in 2024, and a similar share as electoral autocracies — the two categories closest to the hybrid border in V-Dem's five-tier taxonomy.
Verified examples by source
EIU, established hybrid-regime cases, 2025: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kenya, Ukraine, Tunisia, Georgia, Nepal, Guatemala, Bangladesh. V-Dem, "grey zone" 2025-2026 (uncertain classification between two adjacent categories): Albania, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria (lower threshold of electoral democracy); Benin, Guyana, Indonesia, Mauritius, Mongolia (upper threshold of electoral autocracy) — note: several of these countries changed category in 2025 itself, confirming this is the most unstable band.
Why the category matters editorially
This is where transitions play out — both downward (democracies eroding) and upward (autocracies opening) — making it the most relevant category when assessing whether a country is undergoing an ongoing deterioration, not an already-consolidated state.
See also
Democracy · Autocracy · Rule of law
Sources: Economist Intelligence Unit — Democracy Index 2025 · V-Dem Institute — Democracy Report 2026 · Statista (on V-Dem data)