Italy vs United Kingdom: Key features of democracy
Italy
0.745
in 2025
United Kingdom
0.772
in 2025
Italy rank
40th
United Kingdom rank
37th
Key features of democracy over time
- Italy
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 0.772 against 0.745 in Italy, a difference of 0.027.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 211 shared years of data; in 1815 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Italy ranks 40th and United Kingdom ranks 37th of 176 countries.
Across the 22 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 3 and United Kingdom in 19.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810s | 0.018 | 0.2664 | 0.2484 | United Kingdom |
| 1820s | 0.018 | 0.2722 | 0.2542 | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 0.0188 | 0.2981 | 0.2793 | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 0.047 | 0.3125 | 0.2655 | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 0.2061 | 0.3163 | 0.1102 | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 0.2339 | 0.3272 | 0.0933 | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 0.2429 | 0.355 | 0.1121 | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 0.2859 | 0.4083 | 0.1224 | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 0.2952 | 0.4577 | 0.1625 | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 0.3058 | 0.4764 | 0.1706 | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 0.3379 | 0.4927 | 0.1548 | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 0.1836 | 0.712 | 0.5284 | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 0.0552 | 0.7212 | 0.666 | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 0.2805 | 0.7366 | 0.4561 | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 0.6924 | 0.8058 | 0.1134 | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 0.7286 | 0.8158 | 0.0872 | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 0.7524 | 0.8234 | 0.071 | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 0.8121 | 0.8035 | 0.0086 | Italy |
| 1990s | 0.8338 | 0.8163 | 0.0175 | Italy |
| 2000s | 0.8455 | 0.8618 | 0.0163 | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 0.8638 | 0.8627 | 0.0011 | Italy |
| 2020s | 0.8152 | 0.838 | 0.0228 | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key features of democracy, Italy or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 0.772 against 0.745 in Italy as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key features of democracy between Italy and United Kingdom?
- 0.027, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and United Kingdom?
- 211 years are reported by both, from 1815 to 2025.
- How do Italy and United Kingdom rank globally for key features of democracy?
- Italy ranks 40th and United Kingdom ranks 37th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) β 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
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.