2024 is a year of elections all over the world. In January, it’s not just the elections for Taiwan’s 16th President, Vice President, and the 11th legislature, but also the month for Bangladesh’s general elections. Elections will carry on throughout the year, all the way to Uzbekistan’s in December, with at least 48 countries carrying out various kinds of elections in 2024. According to data recorded up until January 3, 2024, by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), at least 20 national leaders will be elected worldwide. 

This election year also will see the number of voters worldwide at an all-time high. The Economist estimates that more than half of the world’s population, 4.17 billion people, will be involved in elections, and around 2 billion of them will be able to vote.  And Blooomberg estimates that countries accounting for 42% of the Gross Domestic Product will elect new leaders. 

Does a calendar full of elections mean the world is more democratic? On today’s podcast, we’ll start with a global overview, and look at elections on each continent. We'll then discuss five national elections that have garnered worldwide interest, and explore what the state of democracy in 2024 could look like.