Norway vs Sweden: Key features of liberal democracy
Norway
0.847
in 2025
Sweden
0.853
in 2025
Norway rank
3rd
Sweden rank
2nd
Key features of liberal democracy over time
- Norway
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 0.853 against 0.847 in Norway, a difference of 0.006.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 218 shared years of data; in 1807 it was Sweden ahead.
Norway ranks 3rd and Sweden ranks 2nd of 176 countries.
Across the 23 decades both report, Norway averaged higher in 7 and Sweden in 16.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 0.095 | 0.2427 | 0.1477 | Sweden |
| 1810s | 0.1598 | 0.2804 | 0.1207 | Sweden |
| 1820s | 0.2102 | 0.2845 | 0.0743 | Sweden |
| 1830s | 0.221 | 0.2874 | 0.0664 | Sweden |
| 1840s | 0.2419 | 0.3095 | 0.0676 | Sweden |
| 1850s | 0.2638 | 0.3174 | 0.0536 | Sweden |
| 1860s | 0.276 | 0.3246 | 0.0486 | Sweden |
| 1870s | 0.2827 | 0.3286 | 0.0459 | Sweden |
| 1880s | 0.3381 | 0.3316 | 0.0065 | Norway |
| 1890s | 0.382 | 0.3333 | 0.0487 | Norway |
| 1900s | 0.4429 | 0.3341 | 0.1088 | Norway |
| 1910s | 0.5726 | 0.3747 | 0.1979 | Norway |
| 1920s | 0.635 | 0.6102 | 0.0248 | Norway |
| 1930s | 0.6415 | 0.6448 | 0.0033 | Sweden |
| 1940s | 0.3633 | 0.6589 | 0.2956 | Sweden |
| 1950s | 0.7289 | 0.7218 | 0.0071 | Norway |
| 1960s | 0.7803 | 0.7275 | 0.0528 | Norway |
| 1970s | 0.8044 | 0.8522 | 0.0478 | Sweden |
| 1980s | 0.8286 | 0.8733 | 0.0447 | Sweden |
| 1990s | 0.8465 | 0.8779 | 0.0314 | Sweden |
| 2000s | 0.8615 | 0.8781 | 0.0166 | Sweden |
| 2010s | 0.862 | 0.88 | 0.018 | Sweden |
| 2020s | 0.8433 | 0.8572 | 0.0138 | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key features of liberal democracy, Norway or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 0.853 against 0.847 in Norway as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key features of liberal democracy between Norway and Sweden?
- 0.006, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and Sweden?
- 218 years are reported by both, from 1807 to 2025.
- How do Norway and Sweden rank globally for key features of liberal democracy?
- Norway ranks 3rd and Sweden ranks 2nd 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.