> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://methodology.china-index.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Scoring and ranking

> How indicator answers become Domain, Layer and overall scores, and how countries are ranked.

<Note>
  This page was added in October 2026.
</Note>

## What the scores mean

Scores should be regarded in relative terms. When country A scores higher than country B, it indicates that the PRC has more influence in country A relative to country B. The scores thus allow comparison between countries and regions.

A percentage score does not suggest some degree out of a "completely influenced" level of 100%. It expresses a country's points out of the total it could have received.

| You can compare | For example |
| - | - |
| The same Domain in two countries | Country A's Media score with country B's Media score |
| Two Domains in one country | A country's Media score with its Society score |
| Two Indicators in the same Domain | Media Indicator 3 with Media Indicator 7 |

Indicators in different Domains are not designed to be compared with each other.

More questions about reading the scores are answered in the [FAQ](/2024/faq).

## Indicator scores

Every Indicator is scored from **0 to 4**, where a higher score means the PRC influence described by that Indicator was confirmed to a greater extent. Indicators use one of three answer formats:

| Scoring type | Possible scores |
| - | - |
| **Graded Yes-No**, 48 Indicators in 2024 (scale and significance, see [Grading system](/2024/indicator-development#grading-system)) | 0 = No; 1–4 = Yes, by scale and significance |
| **Simple Yes-No**, 47 Indicators | 0 = No, 4 = Yes |
| **Diplomatic position**, 4 Indicators (Foreign Policy 8–11) | 0 = rejected or denounced, 2 = remained silent, 4 = supported the PRC's position |

To see how to choose a score and what to write for each one, read [Writing responses](/2024/writing-responses).

Every Indicator has a maximum of 4 points, so each Indicator carries the same weight within its Domain. The published results apply no weights.

### Skipped Indicators

**Skip** is used when an Indicator cannot apply to a country, or when the respondent cannot answer it at all: neither a Yes nor a No can be given, for example because the evidence conflicts or cannot be shared (see [Writing responses](/2024/writing-responses#skipping-indicators)). Respondents are requested to skip no more than 10 Indicators. A skipped Indicator is left out of both the points and the maximum.

## Domain and overall scores

A score is the share of the maximum possible points, as a percentage:

```text theme={null}
score = points earned ÷ maximum possible points × 100
```

* **Domain score**: over the 11 Indicators of that Domain.
* **Overall score**: over all 99 Indicators together. It is calculated from the points directly, not as an average of the nine Domain scores.
* Scores are rounded to one decimal place (halves round up).

<Accordion title="Example">
  A country skips 3 Indicators and answers the other 96. The maximum is 96 × 4 = 384 points. If the answers add up to 150 points, the overall score is 150 ÷ 384 × 100 = **39.1%**.
</Accordion>

## Layer scores

Indicators are also grouped by Layer: **Exposure** (64 Indicators), **Pressure** (10) and **Alignment** (25). A Layer score uses the same formula over the Indicators of that Layer, with two differences:

* Skipped Indicators stay in the maximum for Layer scores.
* Layer scores are rounded to whole numbers.

## Rankings

Countries are ranked from the highest score to the lowest, separately for the overall score, each Domain and each Layer. Countries with the same score share a rank, and the next rank is skipped (for example 1, 2, 2, 4).

## Change from the previous edition

Where a country was also assessed in the previous edition, the change is the difference between its two overall scores, in percentage points.

<Note>
  The 2022 edition used the Layers Exposure, Pressure and Effect, reported overall scores as whole numbers, and left skipped Indicators out of Layer scores. Scores from different editions are compared as published.
</Note>


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