Which has higher liberal democracy index, Bulgaria or Romania?

Bulgaria, at 0.499 against 0.464 in Romania as of 2025.

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

193 years are reported by both, from 1832 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 Romania: Liberal Democracy Index

Bulgaria

0.499

in 2025

Romania

0.464

in 2025

Bulgaria rank

67th

Romania rank

69th

Liberal Democracy Index over time

Bulgaria
Romania

How they compare

Bulgaria currently reports 0.499 against 0.464 in Romania, a difference of 0.035.

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

The two have swapped places 16 times across 193 shared years of data; in 1832 it was Bulgaria ahead.

Bulgaria ranks 67th and Romania ranks 69th of 176 countries.

Across the 20 decades both report, Bulgaria averaged higher in 15 and Romania in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Bulgaria	Romania	Difference	Ahead
1830s	0.0303	0.027	0.0033	Bulgaria
1840s	0.044	0.027	0.017	Bulgaria
1850s	0.0443	0.0289	0.0154	Bulgaria
1860s	0.048	0.1099	0.0619	Romania
1870s	0.0732	0.1442	0.071	Romania
1880s	0.1269	0.144	0.0171	Romania
1890s	0.1472	0.1441	0.0031	Bulgaria
1900s	0.1786	0.1547	0.0239	Bulgaria
1910s	0.1775	0.1499	0.0276	Bulgaria
1920s	0.1614	0.1559	0.0055	Bulgaria
1930s	0.1284	0.1325	0.0041	Romania
1940s	0.0916	0.0531	0.0385	Bulgaria
1950s	0.0549	0.0317	0.0232	Bulgaria
1960s	0.0559	0.0408	0.0151	Bulgaria
1970s	0.0577	0.042	0.0157	Bulgaria
1980s	0.0578	0.042	0.0158	Bulgaria
1990s	0.5765	0.3884	0.1881	Bulgaria
2000s	0.6104	0.4599	0.1505	Bulgaria
2010s	0.5459	0.5585	0.0126	Romania
2020s	0.544	0.5408	0.0032	Bulgaria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, Bulgaria or Romania?: Bulgaria, at 0.499 against 0.464 in Romania as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Bulgaria and Romania?: 0.035, with Bulgaria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Romania?: 193 years are reported by both, from 1832 to 2025.
How do Bulgaria and Romania rank globally for liberal democracy index?: Bulgaria ranks 67th and Romania ranks 69th 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.