The COVID pandemic hit countries around the globe differently. Besides the biological and demographic factors, the social norms and institutions frame the impact of the health emergency, by instilling values and norms helping people to adapt their behavior. Democracy seems to be better prepared for facing the health emergency, because of its good health outcomes and the ability to cope with disasters, democratic governed societies are vulnerable in the face of COVID because of the longer life expectancy of their public which plays against democracy, as the empirical evidence shows the disease hit mainly old adults. This paper inquires whether democratic societies still have an advantage in dealing with the COVID crisis, proving with empirical data that COVID mortality is lower in highly advanced democracies.