Which has higher liberal democracy index, Bhutan or Kenya?

Bhutan, at 0.457 against 0.446 in Kenya as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Bhutan and Kenya?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Bhutan vs Kenya: Liberal Democracy Index

Bhutan

0.457

in 2025

Kenya

0.446

in 2025

Bhutan rank

71st

Kenya rank

73rd

Liberal Democracy Index over time

Bhutan
Kenya

How they compare

Bhutan currently reports 0.457 against 0.446 in Kenya, a difference of 0.011.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Bhutan ahead.

Bhutan ranks 71st and Kenya ranks 73rd of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Bhutan averaged higher in 11 and Kenya in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Bhutan	Kenya	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.0628	0.0266	0.0362	Bhutan
1910s	0.075	0.0435	0.0315	Bhutan
1920s	0.0758	0.0472	0.0286	Bhutan
1930s	0.0788	0.0504	0.0284	Bhutan
1940s	0.079	0.0522	0.0268	Bhutan
1950s	0.1011	0.0558	0.0453	Bhutan
1960s	0.1204	0.1193	0.0011	Bhutan
1970s	0.1244	0.1157	0.0087	Bhutan
1980s	0.1252	0.1034	0.0218	Bhutan
1990s	0.1329	0.1937	0.0608	Kenya
2000s	0.2195	0.319	0.0995	Kenya
2010s	0.4915	0.3971	0.0944	Bhutan
2020s	0.4707	0.4372	0.0335	Bhutan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, Bhutan or Kenya?: Bhutan, at 0.457 against 0.446 in Kenya as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Bhutan and Kenya?: 0.011, with Bhutan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bhutan and Kenya?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Bhutan and Kenya rank globally for liberal democracy index?: Bhutan ranks 71st and Kenya ranks 73rd of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Liberal Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 28,671 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.