{"id":326669,"date":"2026-07-02T13:23:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T17:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=326669"},"modified":"2026-07-02T13:25:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T17:25:22","slug":"8-ways-that-us-style-democracy-stands-out-globally","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/07\/02\/8-ways-that-us-style-democracy-stands-out-globally\/","title":{"rendered":"8 ways that U.S.-style democracy stands out globally"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More than 100 countries around the world can be considered democracies, yet no two of them do democracy exactly the same way. Even so, the United States \u2013 which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year \u2013 stands apart from other democratic nations in several respects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We looked at key aspects of the world\u2019s 106 democracies (as defined by expert ratings from three organizations) to see how they compare with the U.S. and vice versa. Here are eight ways the U.S. political system differs from most \u2013 or all \u2013 of its peers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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106 countries and territories around the world are democracies<\/strong><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Note: Data is based on 106 countries classified as democracies and includes some fully self-governing territories whose sovereign status is disputed. Refer to the methodology to learn more about how we identified democracies.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Source: Pew Research Center analysis using data from Freedom House, the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Varieties of Democracy Institute.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Share this chart<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t