Which has higher direct democracy index, Estonia or Maldives?

Maldives, at 0.045 against 0.038 in Estonia as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Estonia and Maldives?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Direct Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Estonia vs Maldives: Direct Democracy Index

Estonia

0.038

in 2025

Maldives

0.045

in 2025

Estonia rank

85th

Maldives rank

82nd

Direct Democracy Index over time

Estonia
Maldives

How they compare

Maldives currently reports 0.045 against 0.038 in Estonia, a difference of 0.007.

That makes Maldives's figure about 1.2 times Estonia's.

The two have swapped places 10 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Maldives ahead.

Estonia ranks 85th and Maldives ranks 82nd of 175 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Estonia averaged higher in 8 and Maldives in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Estonia	Maldives	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0	0	0	—
1910s	0	0	0	—
1920s	0.0674	0	0.0674	Estonia
1930s	0.1075	0	0.1075	Estonia
1940s	0.02	0	0.02	Estonia
1950s	0.02	0.03	0.01	Maldives
1960s	0.02	0.01	0.01	Estonia
1970s	0.0239	0	0.0239	Estonia
1980s	0.033	0	0.033	Estonia
1990s	0.1872	0.004	0.1832	Estonia
2000s	0.2227	0.0766	0.1461	Estonia
2010s	0.1175	0.1698	0.0523	Maldives
2020s	0.0432	0.075	0.0318	Maldives

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher direct democracy index, Estonia or Maldives?: Maldives, at 0.045 against 0.038 in Estonia as of 2025.
What is the difference in direct democracy index between Estonia and Maldives?: 0.007, with Maldives ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Estonia and Maldives?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Estonia and Maldives rank globally for direct democracy index?: Estonia ranks 85th and Maldives ranks 82nd of 175 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Direct Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Direct Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 175 places, 20,802 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Measures the extent of how easy it is for citizens to vote on specific issues themselves in popular initiatives, referendums, and plebiscites.