Latin America’s grip on democracy

In its daily use of social media (three hours, 32 minutes on average), Latin America leads the world. Over the past quarter century, it has nearly tripled the number of people attending university and cut poverty by about half. This list of notable trends could go on, regardless of concerns about crime, corruption, and caudillo-style rulers. Together, however, they might help explain this latest news:Last year, the region saw the greatest improvement in key indicators of democracy, such as political participation and civil liberties, compared with Asia, Africa, and elsewhere. In fact, it was the only region to improve.And Latin America did so after seeing nine years of decline on the index of democracy compiled annually by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). More than half of the region’s countries raised their scores in 2025. Bolivia stood out for its election of a centrist presidential candidate after nearly 19 years of a descent into deep political polarization. (Colombia had the sharpest decline, mainly due to political violence.)Perhaps part of the reason for the shift is a rise in conservative leaders who exhibit an unusual bent for reforms more than for power.“Today’s Latin America is a region where the tone and substance