Which has higher direct democracy index, Switzerland or Uruguay?

Switzerland, at 0.679 against 0.618 in Uruguay as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and Uruguay?

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.

Switzerland vs Uruguay: Direct Democracy Index

Switzerland

0.679

in 2025

Uruguay

0.618

in 2025

Switzerland rank

1st

Uruguay rank

2nd

Direct Democracy Index over time

Switzerland
Uruguay

How they compare

Switzerland currently reports 0.679 against 0.618 in Uruguay, a difference of 0.061.

That makes Switzerland's figure about 1.1 times Uruguay's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Switzerland ahead.

Switzerland ranks 1st and Uruguay ranks 2nd of 175 countries.

Switzerland has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Switzerland	Uruguay	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.6135	0	0.6135	Switzerland
1910s	0.6078	0.01	0.5978	Switzerland
1920s	0.6707	0	0.6707	Switzerland
1930s	0.6517	0.17	0.4817	Switzerland
1940s	0.6418	0.4052	0.2366	Switzerland
1950s	0.6584	0.399	0.2594	Switzerland
1960s	0.6438	0.3813	0.2625	Switzerland
1970s	0.6487	0.2171	0.4316	Switzerland
1980s	0.6708	0.1981	0.4727	Switzerland
1990s	0.6749	0.6069	0.068	Switzerland
2000s	0.6738	0.6001	0.0737	Switzerland
2010s	0.6775	0.5672	0.1103	Switzerland
2020s	0.6747	0.527	0.1477	Switzerland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher direct democracy index, Switzerland or Uruguay?: Switzerland, at 0.679 against 0.618 in Uruguay as of 2025.
What is the difference in direct democracy index between Switzerland and Uruguay?: 0.061, with Switzerland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and Uruguay?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Switzerland and Uruguay rank globally for direct democracy index?: Switzerland ranks 1st and Uruguay ranks 2nd 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.