Which has higher liberal democracy index, Estonia or Sweden?

Sweden, at 0.853 against 0.837 in Estonia as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Estonia and Sweden?

237 years are reported by both, from 1789 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.

Estonia vs Sweden: Liberal Democracy Index

Estonia

0.837

in 2025

Sweden

0.853

in 2025

Estonia rank

5th

Sweden rank

2nd

Liberal Democracy Index over time

Estonia
Sweden

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 0.853 against 0.837 in Estonia, a difference of 0.016.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Sweden ahead.

Estonia ranks 5th and Sweden ranks 2nd of 176 countries.

Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 25 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Estonia	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.014	0.207	0.193	Sweden
1790s	0.014	0.2245	0.2105	Sweden
1800s	0.0149	0.2296	0.2147	Sweden
1810s	0.015	0.2802	0.2652	Sweden
1820s	0.0142	0.2845	0.2703	Sweden
1830s	0.0147	0.2874	0.2727	Sweden
1840s	0.0152	0.3095	0.2943	Sweden
1850s	0.0215	0.3174	0.2959	Sweden
1860s	0.0637	0.3246	0.2609	Sweden
1870s	0.0866	0.3286	0.242	Sweden
1880s	0.0411	0.3316	0.2905	Sweden
1890s	0.0433	0.3333	0.29	Sweden
1900s	0.0499	0.3341	0.2842	Sweden
1910s	0.1173	0.3747	0.2574	Sweden
1920s	0.5859	0.6102	0.0243	Sweden
1930s	0.3528	0.6448	0.292	Sweden
1940s	0.0144	0.6589	0.6445	Sweden
1950s	0.0196	0.7218	0.7022	Sweden
1960s	0.0232	0.7275	0.7043	Sweden
1970s	0.0247	0.8522	0.8275	Sweden
1980s	0.0352	0.8733	0.8381	Sweden
1990s	0.7215	0.8779	0.1564	Sweden
2000s	0.8104	0.8781	0.0677	Sweden
2010s	0.8441	0.88	0.0359	Sweden
2020s	0.8463	0.8572	0.0108	Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, Estonia or Sweden?: Sweden, at 0.853 against 0.837 in Estonia as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Estonia and Sweden?: 0.016, with Sweden ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Estonia and Sweden?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Estonia and Sweden rank globally for liberal democracy index?: Estonia ranks 5th and Sweden ranks 2nd 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.