Which has higher participatory democracy index, Denmark or Norway?

Denmark, at 0.7 against 0.638 in Norway as of 2025.

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

219 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.

Denmark vs Norway: Participatory Democracy Index

Denmark

0.7

in 2025

Norway

0.638

in 2025

Denmark rank

3rd

Norway rank

6th

Participatory Democracy Index over time

Denmark
Norway

How they compare

Denmark currently reports 0.7 against 0.638 in Norway, a difference of 0.062.

That makes Denmark's figure about 1.1 times Norway's.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 219 shared years of data; in 1807 it was Norway ahead.

Denmark ranks 3rd and Norway ranks 6th of 176 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Denmark	Norway	Difference	Ahead
1800s	0.023	0.024	0.001	Norway
1810s	0.023	0.0318	0.0088	Norway
1820s	0.023	0.0387	0.0157	Norway
1830s	0.0599	0.0643	0.0044	Norway
1840s	0.1306	0.1323	0.0017	Norway
1850s	0.2007	0.1502	0.0505	Denmark
1860s	0.2348	0.1766	0.0582	Denmark
1870s	0.2475	0.174	0.0735	Denmark
1880s	0.2549	0.2176	0.0373	Denmark
1890s	0.2584	0.2481	0.0103	Denmark
1900s	0.3846	0.3014	0.0832	Denmark
1910s	0.4876	0.4007	0.0869	Denmark
1920s	0.6408	0.4582	0.1826	Denmark
1930s	0.6166	0.4559	0.1607	Denmark
1940s	0.4803	0.2909	0.1894	Denmark
1950s	0.674	0.5593	0.1147	Denmark
1960s	0.715	0.5861	0.1289	Denmark
1970s	0.7066	0.6204	0.0862	Denmark
1980s	0.7086	0.6239	0.0847	Denmark
1990s	0.7293	0.6503	0.079	Denmark
2000s	0.7202	0.6537	0.0665	Denmark
2010s	0.7106	0.6456	0.065	Denmark
2020s	0.7008	0.6372	0.0637	Denmark

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher participatory democracy index, Denmark or Norway?: Denmark, at 0.7 against 0.638 in Norway as of 2025.
What is the difference in participatory democracy index between Denmark and Norway?: 0.062, with Denmark ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Norway?: 219 years are reported by both, from 1807 to 2025.
How do Denmark and Norway rank globally for participatory democracy index?: Denmark ranks 3rd 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.