(CNN) -- North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong Il died over the weekend, is the least democratic nation on Earth, according to a newly released report by a British analysis and intelligence firm.





The Democracy Index 2011, compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, listed Norway as the most democratic nation in the world.





The top 10 spots in this year's index were occupied mostly by European countries. Following Norway were: Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Finland and the Netherlands.





Read the full report





The United States ranked 19th, down two spots from the 2010 listing. The United States' 2011 ranking is below Canada (8th) and the United Kingdom (18th).





The United States also ranked below the Czech Republic (16th), a former Soviet communist satellite that did not become a democracy until 1989, and the South American nation of Uruguay (17th), a former right-wing dictatorship that did not return to democracy until 1984.





The Economist Intelligence Unit analysis, released this month, concluded that democracy deteriorated in 48 countries, improved in 41 and stayed the same in 78. In most regions, the report said, the level of democracy was lower in 2011 than the previous year.





"2011 was an exceptionally turbulent year, characterized by sovereign debt crises and weak political leadership in the developed world, dramatic political change and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa and rising social unrest," said Laza Kekic, the report's lead author.





The Democracy Index is based on five categories: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, how government functions, political participation by the public, and political culture. The analysts measured the level of democracy in 165 nations and two territories, "which account for almost the entire population of the world," the Economist Intelligence Unit said in a release.





Using a scale of 0 to 10, countries were placed in one of four categories: full democracies (8-10), flawed democracies (6 to 7.9), hybrid regimes (4 to 5.9) and authoritarian regimes (0 to 3.9).





Norway, the top-ranked nation, had a score of 9.8. The Scandinavian nation also ranked No. 1 in 2010 with an identical score.





North Korea, ranked No. 167, had a score of 1.08. The Asian nation also ranked last in 2010, with the same score.





The United States had a score of 8.11, slightly lower than last year's 8.18.





"U.S. democracy has been adversely affected by a deepening of the polarization of the political scene and political brinkmanship and paralysis," the Economist Intelligence Unit concluded.





The analysts noted that the United States and the United Kingdom lag behind many other full democracies for some of the same reasons.





"There has been a rise in protest movements," the report states. "Problems in the functioning of government have become more prominent."





Among other findings in the report:





-- Slightly more than half the world's population lives in some type of democracy, although only 11% enjoy a "full democracy."





-- More than one-third of the globe's population lives under authoritarian rule.





-- Nearly half the nations on the planet are considered democracies: 25 "full" and 53 "flawed."





-- There were 37 "hybrid regimes" and 52 "authoritarian regimes."





-- Violence, drug trafficking and other crime in Latin America continue to hinder democracy.





-- Eastern Europe continued to suffer a decline in democracy, with 12 nations worse than the previous year.





-- Western Europe also had a decline in democracy, with seven nations deteriorating and none improving. Some of that deterioration was due to financial problems plaguing the eurozone. Five of the countries that lost points in the rankings belong to the eurozone: Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ireland.





-- Eight countries had a listing change from one type of government to another in 2011. Four were upgraded and four were downgraded.





-- Countries that deteriorated were: Portugal
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