Which has higher liberal democracy index, Denmark or Switzerland?

Denmark, at 0.884 against 0.843 in Switzerland as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Switzerland?

228 years are reported by both, from 1798 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.

Denmark vs Switzerland: Liberal Democracy Index

Denmark

0.884

in 2025

Switzerland

0.843

in 2025

Denmark rank

1st

Switzerland rank

4th

Liberal Democracy Index over time

Denmark
Switzerland

How they compare

Denmark currently reports 0.884 against 0.843 in Switzerland, a difference of 0.041.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 228 shared years of data; in 1798 it was Switzerland ahead.

Denmark ranks 1st and Switzerland ranks 4th of 176 countries.

Across the 24 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 12 and Switzerland in 12.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Denmark	Switzerland	Difference	Ahead
1790s	0.15	0.264	0.114	Switzerland
1800s	0.157	0.2004	0.0434	Switzerland
1810s	0.157	0.176	0.019	Switzerland
1820s	0.157	0.176	0.019	Switzerland
1830s	0.165	0.1868	0.0218	Switzerland
1840s	0.2053	0.229	0.0237	Switzerland
1850s	0.3686	0.4657	0.0971	Switzerland
1860s	0.3706	0.4655	0.0949	Switzerland
1870s	0.3687	0.5012	0.1325	Switzerland
1880s	0.361	0.5279	0.1669	Switzerland
1890s	0.3652	0.5279	0.1627	Switzerland
1900s	0.5305	0.54	0.0095	Switzerland
1910s	0.6537	0.543	0.1107	Denmark
1920s	0.8218	0.5495	0.2723	Denmark
1930s	0.8077	0.5508	0.2569	Denmark
1940s	0.5857	0.5509	0.0348	Denmark
1950s	0.8685	0.5613	0.3072	Denmark
1960s	0.8733	0.5669	0.3064	Denmark
1970s	0.8792	0.7518	0.1274	Denmark
1980s	0.8795	0.8134	0.0661	Denmark
1990s	0.8801	0.8349	0.0452	Denmark
2000s	0.8874	0.8415	0.0459	Denmark
2010s	0.8927	0.8581	0.0346	Denmark
2020s	0.884	0.8465	0.0375	Denmark

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, Denmark or Switzerland?: Denmark, at 0.884 against 0.843 in Switzerland as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Denmark and Switzerland?: 0.041, with Denmark ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Switzerland?: 228 years are reported by both, from 1798 to 2025.
How do Denmark and Switzerland rank globally for liberal democracy index?: Denmark ranks 1st and Switzerland ranks 4th 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.