Which has higher liberal democracy index, Canada or Portugal?

Canada, at 0.736 against 0.717 in Portugal as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Portugal?

185 years are reported by both, from 1841 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.

Canada vs Portugal: Liberal Democracy Index

Canada

0.736

in 2025

Portugal

0.717

in 2025

Canada rank

23rd

Portugal rank

26th

Liberal Democracy Index over time

Canada
Portugal

How they compare

Canada currently reports 0.736 against 0.717 in Portugal, a difference of 0.019.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 185 shared years of data; in 1841 it was Canada ahead.

Canada ranks 23rd and Portugal ranks 26th of 176 countries.

Across the 19 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 14 and Portugal in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Canada	Portugal	Difference	Ahead
1840s	0.2846	0.0944	0.1901	Canada
1850s	0.283	0.1321	0.1509	Canada
1860s	0.2946	0.1433	0.1513	Canada
1870s	0.3561	0.1443	0.2118	Canada
1880s	0.3871	0.1473	0.2398	Canada
1890s	0.4025	0.145	0.2575	Canada
1900s	0.4134	0.1394	0.274	Canada
1910s	0.4055	0.1698	0.2357	Canada
1920s	0.5346	0.1381	0.3965	Canada
1930s	0.5565	0.0733	0.4832	Canada
1940s	0.5771	0.072	0.5051	Canada
1950s	0.6599	0.073	0.5869	Canada
1960s	0.724	0.0742	0.6498	Canada
1970s	0.7422	0.3273	0.4149	Canada
1980s	0.7524	0.7992	0.0468	Portugal
1990s	0.7571	0.8096	0.0525	Portugal
2000s	0.7524	0.8282	0.0758	Portugal
2010s	0.7509	0.8331	0.0822	Portugal
2020s	0.7435	0.767	0.0235	Portugal

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, Canada or Portugal?: Canada, at 0.736 against 0.717 in Portugal as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Canada and Portugal?: 0.019, with Canada ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Portugal?: 185 years are reported by both, from 1841 to 2025.
How do Canada and Portugal rank globally for liberal democracy index?: Canada ranks 23rd and Portugal ranks 26th 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.