Which has higher electoral democracy index, Netherlands or Spain?

Netherlands, at 0.832 against 0.822 in Spain as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Spain?

237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

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

Netherlands vs Spain: Electoral Democracy Index

Netherlands

0.832

in 2025

Spain

0.822

in 2025

Netherlands rank

20th

Spain rank

22nd

Electoral Democracy Index over time

Netherlands
Spain

How they compare

Netherlands currently reports 0.832 against 0.822 in Spain, a difference of 0.01.

The two have swapped places 14 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Netherlands ahead.

Netherlands ranks 20th and Spain ranks 22nd of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 21 and Spain in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Netherlands	Spain	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.077	0.019	0.058	Netherlands
1790s	0.1107	0.019	0.0917	Netherlands
1800s	0.1052	0.0278	0.0774	Netherlands
1810s	0.0884	0.0603	0.0281	Netherlands
1820s	0.098	0.0912	0.0068	Netherlands
1830s	0.1083	0.0898	0.0185	Netherlands
1840s	0.1423	0.1313	0.011	Netherlands
1850s	0.3704	0.128	0.2424	Netherlands
1860s	0.3733	0.145	0.2283	Netherlands
1870s	0.3749	0.2047	0.1702	Netherlands
1880s	0.3837	0.1557	0.228	Netherlands
1890s	0.4248	0.1823	0.2425	Netherlands
1900s	0.4504	0.1827	0.2677	Netherlands
1910s	0.4787	0.1794	0.2993	Netherlands
1920s	0.7316	0.0994	0.6322	Netherlands
1930s	0.7346	0.3925	0.3421	Netherlands
1940s	0.3816	0.0691	0.3125	Netherlands
1950s	0.7751	0.0691	0.706	Netherlands
1960s	0.8066	0.0797	0.7269	Netherlands
1970s	0.8447	0.2838	0.5609	Netherlands
1980s	0.8608	0.8845	0.0237	Spain
1990s	0.8598	0.8927	0.0329	Spain
2000s	0.8624	0.8837	0.0213	Spain
2010s	0.8755	0.868	0.0075	Netherlands
2020s	0.847	0.8475	0.0005	Spain

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher electoral democracy index, Netherlands or Spain?: Netherlands, at 0.832 against 0.822 in Spain as of 2025.
What is the difference in electoral democracy index between Netherlands and Spain?: 0.01, with Netherlands ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Spain?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Netherlands and Spain rank globally for electoral democracy index?: Netherlands ranks 20th and Spain ranks 22nd of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Electoral Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Electoral Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.