France vs Japan: Democracy Index

France
10
in 2018
Japan
10
in 2018
France rank
1st
Japan rank
1st

Democracy Index over time

  • France
  • Japan
-10-50510180019092018

How they compare

France currently reports 10 against 10 in Japan, a difference of 0.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 208 shared years of data; in 1800 it was France ahead.

France ranks 1st and Japan ranks 1st of 167 countries.

Across the 22 decades both report, France averaged higher in 14 and Japan in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade France Japan Difference Ahead
1800s -8 -10 2 France
1810s -5.6 -10 4.4 France
1820s -4 -10 6 France
1830s -1 -10 9 France
1840s 0.4 -10 10.4 France
1850s -5.9 -9.7 3.8 France
1860s -6 -2.6 3.4 Japan
1870s 3.5 1 2.5 France
1880s 7 1 6 France
1890s 7.2 1 6.2 France
1900s 8 1 7 France
1910s 8.1 1 7.1 France
1920s 9 1 8 France
1930s 10 1 9 France
1940s 9 1 8 France
1950s 6.5 10 3.5 Japan
1960s 5.7 10 4.3 Japan
1970s 9 10 1 Japan
1980s 9.4 10 0.6 Japan
1990s 10 10 0
2000s 10 10 0
2010s 10 10 0

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher democracy index, France or Japan?
France, at 10 against 10 in Japan as of 2018.
What is the difference in democracy index between France and Japan?
0, with France ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and Japan?
208 years are reported by both, from 1800 to 2018.
How do France and Japan rank globally for democracy index?
France ranks 1st and Japan ranks 1st of 167 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Democracy Index
Source
Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed

It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).