Which has higher liberal democracy index, Japan or Portugal?

Japan, at 0.734 against 0.717 in Portugal as of 2025.

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

193 years are reported by both, from 1833 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.

Japan vs Portugal: Liberal Democracy Index

Japan

0.734

in 2025

Portugal

0.717

in 2025

Japan rank

24th

Portugal rank

26th

Liberal Democracy Index over time

Japan
Portugal

How they compare

Japan currently reports 0.734 against 0.717 in Portugal, a difference of 0.017.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 193 shared years of data; in 1833 it was Portugal ahead.

Japan ranks 24th and Portugal ranks 26th of 176 countries.

Across the 20 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 9 and Portugal in 11.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Japan	Portugal	Difference	Ahead
1830s	0.016	0.0861	0.0701	Portugal
1840s	0.016	0.095	0.079	Portugal
1850s	0.0178	0.1321	0.1143	Portugal
1860s	0.0211	0.1433	0.1222	Portugal
1870s	0.0937	0.1443	0.0506	Portugal
1880s	0.1092	0.1473	0.0381	Portugal
1890s	0.1796	0.145	0.0346	Japan
1900s	0.1965	0.1394	0.0571	Japan
1910s	0.2015	0.1698	0.0317	Japan
1920s	0.21	0.1381	0.0719	Japan
1930s	0.2044	0.0733	0.1311	Japan
1940s	0.2457	0.072	0.1737	Japan
1950s	0.637	0.073	0.564	Japan
1960s	0.7499	0.0742	0.6757	Japan
1970s	0.7505	0.3273	0.4232	Japan
1980s	0.7521	0.7992	0.0471	Portugal
1990s	0.7567	0.8096	0.0529	Portugal
2000s	0.7674	0.8282	0.0608	Portugal
2010s	0.7542	0.8331	0.0789	Portugal
2020s	0.7387	0.767	0.0283	Portugal

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, Japan or Portugal?: Japan, at 0.734 against 0.717 in Portugal as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Japan and Portugal?: 0.017, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Portugal?: 193 years are reported by both, from 1833 to 2025.
How do Japan and Portugal rank globally for liberal democracy index?: Japan ranks 24th 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.

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Japan vs Portugal: Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/liberal-democracy-index/japan/portugal/

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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: 30 October 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.