Belgium vs France: Key features of liberal democracy
Belgium
0.794
in 2025
France
0.8
in 2025
Belgium rank
10th
France rank
9th
Key features of liberal democracy over time
- Belgium
- France
How they compare
France currently reports 0.8 against 0.794 in Belgium, a difference of 0.006.
The two have swapped places 18 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was France ahead.
Belgium ranks 10th and France ranks 9th of 176 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 12 and France in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | France | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.101 | 0.219 | 0.118 | France |
| 1790s | 0.1489 | 0.2049 | 0.056 | France |
| 1800s | 0.1028 | 0.1028 | 0 | — |
| 1810s | 0.1267 | 0.1349 | 0.0082 | France |
| 1820s | 0.158 | 0.162 | 0.004 | France |
| 1830s | 0.2775 | 0.195 | 0.0825 | Belgium |
| 1840s | 0.3277 | 0.2282 | 0.0995 | Belgium |
| 1850s | 0.3345 | 0.1754 | 0.1591 | Belgium |
| 1860s | 0.3348 | 0.1649 | 0.1699 | Belgium |
| 1870s | 0.3401 | 0.3718 | 0.0317 | France |
| 1880s | 0.3472 | 0.4481 | 0.1009 | France |
| 1890s | 0.3985 | 0.4477 | 0.0492 | France |
| 1900s | 0.4426 | 0.4608 | 0.0182 | France |
| 1910s | 0.2864 | 0.441 | 0.1546 | France |
| 1920s | 0.4375 | 0.4635 | 0.026 | France |
| 1930s | 0.4443 | 0.4576 | 0.0133 | France |
| 1940s | 0.3131 | 0.2644 | 0.0487 | Belgium |
| 1950s | 0.6442 | 0.6242 | 0.02 | Belgium |
| 1960s | 0.7585 | 0.6629 | 0.0956 | Belgium |
| 1970s | 0.7706 | 0.7638 | 0.0068 | Belgium |
| 1980s | 0.7813 | 0.7914 | 0.0101 | France |
| 1990s | 0.8084 | 0.8002 | 0.0082 | Belgium |
| 2000s | 0.8199 | 0.8044 | 0.0155 | Belgium |
| 2010s | 0.8364 | 0.8133 | 0.0231 | Belgium |
| 2020s | 0.817 | 0.7987 | 0.0183 | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key features of liberal democracy, Belgium or France?
- France, at 0.8 against 0.794 in Belgium as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key features of liberal democracy between Belgium and France?
- 0.006, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and France?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Belgium and France rank globally for key features of liberal democracy?
- Belgium ranks 10th and France ranks 9th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.