Which has higher participatory democracy index, Australia or Norway?

Australia, at 0.648 against 0.638 in Norway as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Norway?

216 years are reported by both, from 1807 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Participatory Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Australia vs Norway: Participatory Democracy Index

Australia

0.648

in 2025

Norway

0.638

in 2025

Australia rank

5th

Norway rank

6th

Participatory Democracy Index over time

Australia
Norway

How they compare

Australia currently reports 0.648 against 0.638 in Norway, a difference of 0.01.

The two have swapped places 8 times across 216 shared years of data; in 1807 it was Australia ahead.

Australia ranks 5th and Norway ranks 6th of 176 countries.

Across the 23 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 18 and Norway in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Australia	Norway	Difference	Ahead
1800s	0.028	0.024	0.004	Australia
1810s	0.028	0.0351	0.0071	Norway
1820s	0.0478	0.0387	0.0091	Australia
1830s	0.07	0.0643	0.0057	Australia
1840s	0.0925	0.1323	0.0398	Norway
1850s	0.2003	0.1502	0.0501	Australia
1860s	0.3835	0.1766	0.2069	Australia
1870s	0.3827	0.174	0.2087	Australia
1880s	0.3835	0.2176	0.1659	Australia
1890s	0.38	0.2481	0.1319	Australia
1900s	0.5324	0.3014	0.231	Australia
1910s	0.5432	0.4007	0.1425	Australia
1920s	0.5708	0.4582	0.1126	Australia
1930s	0.5623	0.4559	0.1064	Australia
1940s	0.5547	0.2909	0.2638	Australia
1950s	0.5891	0.5593	0.0298	Australia
1960s	0.5924	0.5861	0.0063	Australia
1970s	0.6486	0.6204	0.0282	Australia
1980s	0.6775	0.6239	0.0536	Australia
1990s	0.6537	0.6503	0.0034	Australia
2000s	0.6371	0.6537	0.0166	Norway
2010s	0.6165	0.6456	0.0291	Norway
2020s	0.6197	0.6372	0.0175	Norway

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher participatory democracy index, Australia or Norway?: Australia, at 0.648 against 0.638 in Norway as of 2025.
What is the difference in participatory democracy index between Australia and Norway?: 0.01, with Australia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Norway?: 216 years are reported by both, from 1807 to 2025.
How do Australia and Norway rank globally for participatory democracy index?: Australia ranks 5th and Norway ranks 6th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Participatory Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Participatory Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,363 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, as well as the extent to which citizens can engage in regional and local government, civil society organizations, and direct democracy.