Which has higher key features of democracy, Denmark or Sweden?

Denmark, at 0.913 against 0.889 in Sweden as of 2025.

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

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 Key features of democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Denmark vs Sweden: Key features of democracy

Denmark

0.913

in 2025

Sweden

0.889

in 2025

Denmark rank

1st

Sweden rank

3rd

Key features of democracy over time

Denmark
Sweden

How they compare

Denmark currently reports 0.913 against 0.889 in Sweden, a difference of 0.024.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Sweden ahead.

Denmark ranks 1st and Sweden ranks 3rd of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 15 and Sweden in 10.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Denmark	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.108	0.187	0.079	Sweden
1790s	0.1078	0.1898	0.082	Sweden
1800s	0.106	0.1952	0.0892	Sweden
1810s	0.106	0.261	0.155	Sweden
1820s	0.106	0.2708	0.1648	Sweden
1830s	0.1321	0.2748	0.1427	Sweden
1840s	0.1772	0.3065	0.1293	Sweden
1850s	0.3606	0.3078	0.0528	Denmark
1860s	0.3629	0.3095	0.0534	Denmark
1870s	0.3596	0.3133	0.0463	Denmark
1880s	0.3474	0.3135	0.0339	Denmark
1890s	0.354	0.3147	0.0393	Denmark
1900s	0.5761	0.3129	0.2632	Denmark
1910s	0.7135	0.3682	0.3453	Denmark
1920s	0.8702	0.661	0.2092	Denmark
1930s	0.8568	0.7	0.1568	Denmark
1940s	0.654	0.7107	0.0567	Sweden
1950s	0.9015	0.7719	0.1296	Denmark
1960s	0.9032	0.7756	0.1276	Denmark
1970s	0.9071	0.8891	0.018	Denmark
1980s	0.9073	0.9074	0.0001	Sweden
1990s	0.908	0.9115	0.0035	Sweden
2000s	0.9142	0.9115	0.0027	Denmark
2010s	0.9196	0.9126	0.007	Denmark
2020s	0.9153	0.891	0.0243	Denmark

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher key features of democracy, Denmark or Sweden?: Denmark, at 0.913 against 0.889 in Sweden as of 2025.
What is the difference in key features of democracy between Denmark and Sweden?: 0.024, with Denmark ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Denmark and Sweden rank globally for key features of democracy?: Denmark ranks 1st and Sweden ranks 3rd of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Key features of democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Key features of democracy
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.