France vs Spain: Liberal democracy
France
3
in 2025
Spain
3
in 2025
France rank
1st
Spain rank
1st
Liberal democracy over time
- France
- Spain
How they compare
France currently reports 3 against 3 in Spain, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 12 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Spain ahead.
France ranks 1st and Spain ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, France averaged higher in 15 and Spain in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1790s | 0.7 | 0 | 0.7 | France |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1820s | 0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | Spain |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1840s | 0.2 | 0 | 0.2 | France |
| 1850s | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | France |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 1.6 | 0.1 | 1.5 | France |
| 1880s | 2 | 0 | 2 | France |
| 1890s | 2 | 0 | 2 | France |
| 1900s | 2 | 0 | 2 | France |
| 1910s | 2 | 0 | 2 | France |
| 1920s | 2 | 0 | 2 | France |
| 1930s | 2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | France |
| 1940s | 0.9 | 0 | 0.9 | France |
| 1950s | 3 | 0 | 3 | France |
| 1960s | 3 | 0 | 3 | France |
| 1970s | 3 | 0.7 | 2.3 | France |
| 1980s | 3 | 2.7 | 0.3 | France |
| 1990s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy, France or Spain?
- France, at 3 against 3 in Spain as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy between France and Spain?
- 0, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Spain?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do France and Spain rank globally for liberal democracy?
- France ranks 1st and Spain ranks 1st of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.