Which has higher liberal democracy index, Iceland or Japan?

Japan, at 0.734 against 0.72 in Iceland as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Japan?

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.

Iceland vs Japan: Liberal Democracy Index

Iceland

0.72

in 2025

Japan

0.734

in 2025

Iceland rank

25th

Japan rank

24th

Liberal Democracy Index over time

Iceland
Japan

How they compare

Japan currently reports 0.734 against 0.72 in Iceland, a difference of 0.014.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Iceland ahead.

Iceland ranks 25th and Japan ranks 24th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 10 and Japan in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iceland	Japan	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.4157	0.1965	0.2192	Iceland
1910s	0.5491	0.2015	0.3476	Iceland
1920s	0.6642	0.21	0.4542	Iceland
1930s	0.6604	0.2044	0.456	Iceland
1940s	0.6733	0.2457	0.4276	Iceland
1950s	0.698	0.637	0.061	Iceland
1960s	0.7079	0.7499	0.042	Japan
1970s	0.7194	0.7505	0.0311	Japan
1980s	0.7506	0.7521	0.0015	Japan
1990s	0.7787	0.7567	0.022	Iceland
2000s	0.7843	0.7674	0.0169	Iceland
2010s	0.7845	0.7542	0.0303	Iceland
2020s	0.7498	0.7387	0.0112	Iceland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, Iceland or Japan?: Japan, at 0.734 against 0.72 in Iceland as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Iceland and Japan?: 0.014, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Japan?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Iceland and Japan rank globally for liberal democracy index?: Iceland ranks 25th and Japan ranks 24th 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.