China vs Iran: Participatory Democracy Index
China
0.036
in 2025
Iran
0.042
in 2025
China rank
170th
Iran rank
167th
Participatory Democracy Index over time
- China
- Iran
How they compare
Iran currently reports 0.042 against 0.036 in China, a difference of 0.006.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.2 times China's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was China ahead.
China ranks 170th and Iran ranks 167th of 176 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 5 and Iran in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0169 | 0.0138 | 0.0031 | China |
| 1910s | 0.0378 | 0.0244 | 0.0134 | China |
| 1920s | 0.0427 | 0.0264 | 0.0163 | China |
| 1930s | 0.04 | 0.0218 | 0.0182 | China |
| 1940s | 0.043 | 0.0393 | 0.0037 | China |
| 1950s | 0.0165 | 0.0449 | 0.0284 | Iran |
| 1960s | 0.014 | 0.0383 | 0.0243 | Iran |
| 1970s | 0.0153 | 0.0463 | 0.031 | Iran |
| 1980s | 0.031 | 0.0427 | 0.0117 | Iran |
| 1990s | 0.0369 | 0.0623 | 0.0254 | Iran |
| 2000s | 0.048 | 0.0539 | 0.0059 | Iran |
| 2010s | 0.0419 | 0.0437 | 0.0018 | Iran |
| 2020s | 0.0352 | 0.0387 | 0.0035 | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher participatory democracy index, China or Iran?
- Iran, at 0.042 against 0.036 in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in participatory democracy index between China and Iran?
- 0.006, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Iran?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do China and Iran rank globally for participatory democracy index?
- China ranks 170th and Iran ranks 167th 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
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.