Australia vs New Zealand: Liberal democracy index
Australia
0.793
in 2025
New Zealand
0.787
in 2025
Australia rank
12th
New Zealand rank
14th
Liberal democracy index over time
- Australia
- New Zealand
How they compare
Australia currently reports 0.793 against 0.787 in New Zealand, a difference of 0.006.
The two have swapped places 13 times across 172 shared years of data; in 1853 it was New Zealand ahead.
Australia ranks 12th and New Zealand ranks 14th of 176 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 13 and New Zealand in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.3819 | 0.3736 | 0.0083 | Australia |
| 1860s | 0.5086 | 0.4411 | 0.0675 | Australia |
| 1870s | 0.5085 | 0.4585 | 0.05 | Australia |
| 1880s | 0.5085 | 0.5003 | 0.0082 | Australia |
| 1890s | 0.5067 | 0.6197 | 0.113 | New Zealand |
| 1900s | 0.6856 | 0.6976 | 0.012 | New Zealand |
| 1910s | 0.6788 | 0.6831 | 0.0043 | New Zealand |
| 1920s | 0.7198 | 0.707 | 0.0128 | Australia |
| 1930s | 0.7189 | 0.7025 | 0.0164 | Australia |
| 1940s | 0.7072 | 0.6883 | 0.0189 | Australia |
| 1950s | 0.7639 | 0.699 | 0.0649 | Australia |
| 1960s | 0.7835 | 0.7473 | 0.0362 | Australia |
| 1970s | 0.8122 | 0.7712 | 0.041 | Australia |
| 1980s | 0.8395 | 0.7904 | 0.0491 | Australia |
| 1990s | 0.8471 | 0.8161 | 0.031 | Australia |
| 2000s | 0.8418 | 0.8262 | 0.0156 | Australia |
| 2010s | 0.8289 | 0.8321 | 0.0032 | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 0.7923 | 0.8138 | 0.0215 | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy index, Australia or New Zealand?
- Australia, at 0.793 against 0.787 in New Zealand as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Australia and New Zealand?
- 0.006, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
- 172 years are reported by both, from 1853 to 2025.
- How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for liberal democracy index?
- Australia ranks 12th and New Zealand ranks 14th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Liberal democracy index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.