Which has higher liberal democracy index, Bulgaria or Malawi?

Bulgaria, at 0.499 against 0.462 in Malawi as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Malawi?

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.

Bulgaria vs Malawi: Liberal Democracy Index

Bulgaria

0.499

in 2025

Malawi

0.462

in 2025

Bulgaria rank

67th

Malawi rank

70th

Liberal Democracy Index over time

Bulgaria
Malawi

How they compare

Bulgaria currently reports 0.499 against 0.462 in Malawi, a difference of 0.037.

That makes Bulgaria's figure about 1.1 times Malawi's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Bulgaria ahead.

Bulgaria ranks 67th and Malawi ranks 70th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Bulgaria averaged higher in 10 and Malawi in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Bulgaria	Malawi	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.1786	0.032	0.1466	Bulgaria
1910s	0.1775	0.0398	0.1377	Bulgaria
1920s	0.1614	0.04	0.1214	Bulgaria
1930s	0.1284	0.04	0.0884	Bulgaria
1940s	0.0916	0.04	0.0516	Bulgaria
1950s	0.0549	0.041	0.0139	Bulgaria
1960s	0.0559	0.088	0.0321	Malawi
1970s	0.0577	0.0828	0.0251	Malawi
1980s	0.0578	0.077	0.0192	Malawi
1990s	0.5765	0.2798	0.2967	Bulgaria
2000s	0.6104	0.3779	0.2325	Bulgaria
2010s	0.5459	0.4314	0.1145	Bulgaria
2020s	0.544	0.4848	0.0592	Bulgaria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, Bulgaria or Malawi?: Bulgaria, at 0.499 against 0.462 in Malawi as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Bulgaria and Malawi?: 0.037, with Bulgaria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Malawi?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Bulgaria and Malawi rank globally for liberal democracy index?: Bulgaria ranks 67th and Malawi ranks 70th 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.