United Kingdom vs United States: Electoral democracy

Electoral democracy in 2025: 0.77 of 1 in United Kingdom and 0.74 of 1 in United States, by V-Dem estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 0.04 of 1, or 1.05 times that in United States.

Watch it change on the map

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

United KingdomUnited StatesWorld

What the numbers say

United Kingdom has been higher since 2025, when it overtook United States.
The world as a whole: 0.48 of 1 in 2025.

Every year

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Year	United Kingdom	United States	World
2025	0.77	0.74	0.48
2024	0.83	0.84	0.49
2023	0.85	0.86	0.49
2022	0.84	0.83	0.5
2021	0.86	0.82	0.5
2020	0.87	0.82	0.51
2019	0.85	0.82	0.52
2018	0.88	0.82	0.52
2017	0.87	0.83	0.52
2016	0.85	0.89	0.52
2015	0.86	0.9	0.52
2014	0.86	0.9	0.52
2013	0.86	0.91	0.52
2012	0.87	0.9	0.53
2011	0.87	0.9	0.53
2010	0.87	0.9	0.52
2009	0.87	0.9	0.52
2008	0.87	0.9	0.52
2007	0.87	0.9	0.52
2006	0.87	0.86	0.52
2005	0.86	0.86	0.52
2004	0.86	0.86	0.51
2003	0.86	0.86	0.51
2002	0.86	0.83	0.5
2001	0.86	0.83	0.49
2000	0.85	0.87	0.49
1999	0.84	0.87	0.49
1998	0.81	0.87	0.49
1997	0.81	0.87	0.49
1996	0.81	0.87	0.48
1995	0.81	0.87	0.47
1994	0.81	0.87	0.47
1993	0.81	0.87	0.46
1992	0.82	0.87	0.44
1991	0.82	0.87	0.42
1990	0.82	0.86	0.41
1989	0.8	0.86	0.36
1988	0.8	0.86	0.36
1987	0.8	0.86	0.35
1986	0.8	0.86	0.34
1985	0.8	0.86	0.34
1984	0.8	0.86	0.33
1983	0.8	0.86	0.32
1982	0.81	0.86	0.32
1981	0.81	0.86	0.32
1980	0.81	0.84	0.32
1979	0.82	0.83	0.31
1978	0.83	0.83	0.3
1977	0.83	0.83	0.3
1976	0.83	0.79	0.29
1975	0.83	0.78	0.29
1974	0.82	0.77	0.29
1973	0.82	0.76	0.29
1972	0.82	0.74	0.29
1971	0.82	0.72	0.29
1970	0.82	0.72	0.29
1969	0.82	0.69	0.29
1968	0.82	0.7	0.3
1967	0.83	0.7	0.29
1966	0.82	0.69	0.29
1965	0.83	0.67	0.3
1964	0.81	0.68	0.3
1963	0.81	0.68	0.3
1962	0.81	0.67	0.29
1961	0.81	0.67	0.29
1960	0.81	0.65	0.28
1959	0.8	0.63	0.27
1958	0.8	0.63	0.27
1957	0.8	0.62	0.27
1956	0.8	0.62	0.26
1955	0.8	0.61	0.25
1954	0.81	0.61	0.25
1953	0.81	0.61	0.24
1952	0.81	0.61	0.24
1951	0.81	0.61	0.24
1950	0.81	0.59	0.23
1949	0.79	0.58	0.22
1948	0.79	0.6	0.22
1947	0.79	0.61	0.21
1946	0.78	0.6	0.19
1945	0.71	0.56	0.16
1944	0.7	0.55	0.14
1943	0.7	0.55	0.14
1942	0.7	0.55	0.14
1941	0.7	0.56	0.15
1940	0.7	0.57	0.15
1939	0.7	0.55	0.17
1938	0.73	0.56	0.17
1937	0.73	0.56	0.17
1936	0.73	0.56	0.17
1935	0.73	0.56	0.17
1934	0.73	0.55	0.18
1933	0.73	0.55	0.18
1932	0.73	0.55	0.19
1931	0.72	0.55	0.18
1930	0.72	0.53	0.18
1929	0.72	0.53	0.19
1928	0.71	0.53	0.19
1927	0.71	0.53	0.19
1926	0.71	0.53	0.19
1925	0.71	0.53	0.19
1924	0.72	0.53	0.19
1923	0.72	0.53	0.19
1922	0.71	0.51	0.19
1921	0.71	0.51	0.19
1920	0.71	0.51	0.18
1919	0.7	0.42	0.16
1918	0.46	0.4	0.15
1917	0.46	0.4	0.15
1916	0.46	0.42	0.15
1915	0.46	0.42	0.15
1914	0.47	0.42	0.15
1913	0.48	0.42	0.15
1912	0.48	0.43	0.15
1911	0.48	0.43	0.15
1910	0.48	0.42	0.15
1909	0.48	0.42	0.15
1908	0.48	0.42	0.15
1907	0.48	0.42	0.15
1906	0.48	0.42	0.15
1905	0.48	0.42	0.15
1904	0.48	0.42	0.14
1903	0.48	0.42	0.14
1902	0.48	0.42	0.15
1901	0.48	0.42	0.14
1900	0.47	0.42	0.14
1899	0.47	0.42	0.22
1898	0.47	0.41	0.22
1897	0.46	0.41	0.22
1896	0.46	0.4	0.22
1895	0.46	0.37	0.22
1894	0.46	0.34	0.21
1893	0.46	0.33	0.21
1892	0.45	0.33	0.21
1891	0.44	0.33	0.2
1890	0.44	0.32	0.2
1889	0.44	0.32	0.2
1888	0.44	0.33	0.2
1887	0.44	0.33	0.2
1886	0.44	0.33	0.19
1885	0.41	0.33	0.19
1884	0.41	0.33	0.2
1883	0.38	0.33	0.19
1882	0.38	0.33	0.19
1881	0.38	0.33	0.19
1880	0.37	0.33	0.19
1879	0.36	0.33	0.19
1878	0.36	0.33	0.18
1877	0.36	0.33	0.18
1876	0.36	0.33	0.19
1875	0.36	0.33	0.18
1874	0.37	0.33	0.18
1873	0.35	0.33	0.18
1872	0.35	0.34	0.18
1871	0.35	0.34	0.18
1870	0.35	0.34	0.18
1869	0.35	0.34	0.17
1868	0.35	0.34	0.17
1867	0.35	0.34	0.17
1866	0.33	0.34	0.16
1865	0.33	0.34	0.16
1864	0.32	0.34	0.16
1863	0.32	0.34	0.16
1862	0.32	0.34	0.16
1861	0.32	0.33	0.15
1860	0.32	0.33	0.15
1859	0.32	0.33	0.14
1858	0.31	0.33	0.14
1857	0.32	0.33	0.14
1856	0.31	0.33	0.13
1855	0.31	0.33	0.13
1854	0.31	0.33	0.13
1853	0.31	0.33	0.13
1852	0.32	0.33	0.13
1851	0.32	0.33	0.13
1850	0.31	0.33	0.13
1849	0.31	0.33	0.15
1848	0.31	0.33	0.13
1847	0.32	0.33	0.11
1846	0.31	0.34	0.11
1845	0.31	0.34	0.11
1844	0.31	0.34	0.11
1843	0.31	0.34	0.1
1842	0.31	0.34	0.1
1841	0.32	0.34	0.1
1840	0.31	0.36	0.1
1839	0.3	0.37	0.1
1838	0.3	0.37	0.09
1837	0.31	0.37	0.09
1836	0.3	0.37	0.1
1835	0.31	0.37	0.09
1834	0.3	0.37	0.09
1833	0.3	0.36	0.09
1832	0.29	0.36	0.09
1831	0.29	0.36	0.09
1830	0.29	0.36	0.09
1829	0.28	0.35	0.08
1828	0.28	0.35	0.08
1827	0.28	0.35	0.09
1826	0.29	0.35	0.08
1825	0.28	0.35	0.08
1824	0.26	0.35	0.08
1823	0.26	0.35	0.08
1822	0.26	0.35	0.08
1821	0.26	0.35	0.07
1820	0.27	0.35	0.07
1819	0.26	0.36	0.06
1818	0.27	0.36	0.06
1817	0.27	0.36	0.06
1816	0.27	0.36	0.06
1815	0.27	0.36	0.06
1814	0.27	0.36	0.05
1813	0.27	0.35	0.05
1812	0.28	0.35	0.06
1811	0.27	0.35	0.06
1810	0.28	0.35	0.06
1809	0.27	0.35	0.05
1808	0.27	0.35	0.05
1807	0.28	0.35	0.05
1806	0.28	0.35	0.05
1805	0.27	0.35	0.05
1804	0.27	0.35	0.05
1803	0.27	0.36	0.05
1802	0.28	0.36	0.05
1801	0.28	0.36	0.05
1800	0.27	0.34	0.05
1799	0.27	0.34	0.05
1798	0.27	0.35	0.06
1797	0.27	0.36	0.05
1796	0.28	0.35	0.05
1795	0.27	0.35	0.05
1794	0.27	0.35	0.05
1793	0.27	0.35	0.05
1792	0.27	0.35	0.05
1791	0.28	0.35	0.05
1790	0.26	0.35	0.05
1789	0.24	0.35	0.05

Each country on its own

Good to know

V-Dem’s electoral democracy index: how far rulers answer to voters through free and fair elections, with free speech and association, from 0 to 1.
Source: V-Dem (2026), via Our World in Data.
Ranks count the 175 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

United Kingdom vs United States

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Human rightsUnited Kingdom: 0.84 of 1 in 2025United States: 0.83 of 1 in 2025

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsUnited Kingdom: 0 deaths in 2022United States: 1 deaths in 2022