This Overview presents International IDEA’s State of Democracy (SoD) Assessment Framework. Developed for public use around the world; the SoD Framework has to date been applied in some 20 countries worldwide since its first launch in 2000.The Framework is comprehensive and emphasizes an approach where assessments are led and owned by local actors. It moves away from the practice of ranking democratic performance and making external judgements. It combines a commitment to the principles of democracy, mediating values, and search questions that look beyond the formal existence of democratic institutions, and focuses, more importantly, on their performance. The Overview also links assessment to reform and in doing so, highlights achievements and challenges as well as lessons learnt from previous assessment experiences.