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Analyses and research on governance, political regimes and economic policies from the Transformation Index (BTI)
 
Tbilsi, Georgia

Repression Meets Resistance

Democracy is on the back foot. This is shown by the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s (BTI) 2026 Transformation Index. The BTI was first compiled twenty years ago, at a time when democracies were still in the majority. Today, 56 per cent of the 137 countries examined by the BTI are governed autocratically. However, this rarely leads to better governance. Autocracies are more prone to corruption, less capable of shaping policy and less consensus-oriented. Repressive regimes have exceedingly been met by civic resistance in form of protest and civil society engagement. In many cases, this had large policy implications and even resulted in leadership change. Examples such as Poland and Brazil show that social resistance and political competition can pave the way for re-democratization. 
 

BTI 2026 Data

BTI data includes over 5.500 pages of country reports, seven regional reports and one global trend report on political and economic transformation as well as governance. We maintain a user friendly website where the results for the BTI 2026 can be explored. Within our open-data policy, all our qualitative reports and 7.124 disaggregated scores are available for download on our website. Visit

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Tablet PC Computer

Data Visualization

The Transformation Atlas provides easy access to all BTI data and analysis since the BTI 2006. The interactive tool is ideal for exploring the results and for identifying and visualizing data patterns at the index, criterion and indicator level for individual survey rounds and the time series. Visit Transformationatlas

 BTI Social Media

BTI Visual Graphics

Download sharable infographics and other social media material displaying BTI data from our Trello Board. Here, we engage with data on the BTI 2026, take a closer look at BTI results through graphics and showcase specific visuals for each of the BTI regions.  Visit Trello board
 

BTI Social Media

 

The BTI Team posts regularly on LinkedIn. In the coming weeks, we are taking a closer look at BTI 2026 data through all our three dimensions and seven regions. Additionally, we provide project updates on events and publications. Visit LinkedIn

Publication

Transformation Index BTI 2026

Managing the transformation of states to democracy and a market-economic system represents a tremendous challenge. Whether it comes to reconstituting the coherency of the state following armed…