Which has higher direct democracy index, Portugal or Sweden?

Portugal, at 0.028 against 0.028 in Sweden as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and Sweden?

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.

Portugal vs Sweden: Direct Democracy Index

Portugal

0.028

in 2025

Sweden

0.028

in 2025

Portugal rank

98th

Sweden rank

98th

Direct Democracy Index over time

Portugal
Sweden

How they compare

Portugal currently reports 0.028 against 0.028 in Sweden, a difference of 0.

The two have swapped places 8 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Sweden ahead.

Portugal ranks 98th and Sweden ranks 98th of 175 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Portugal averaged higher in 3 and Sweden in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Portugal	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0	0	0	—
1910s	0	0	0	—
1920s	0	0.1005	0.1005	Sweden
1930s	0.01	0.03	0.02	Sweden
1940s	0	0.015	0.015	Sweden
1950s	0	0.0825	0.0825	Sweden
1960s	0	0.1176	0.1176	Sweden
1970s	0.0072	0.0352	0.028	Sweden
1980s	0.018	0.1495	0.1315	Sweden
1990s	0.046	0.1351	0.0891	Sweden
2000s	0.1454	0.1399	0.0055	Portugal
2010s	0.1372	0.0505	0.0867	Portugal
2020s	0.0542	0.028	0.0262	Portugal

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher direct democracy index, Portugal or Sweden?: Portugal, at 0.028 against 0.028 in Sweden as of 2025.
What is the difference in direct democracy index between Portugal and Sweden?: 0, with Portugal ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and Sweden?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Portugal and Sweden rank globally for direct democracy index?: Portugal ranks 98th and Sweden ranks 98th 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.