Iran vs North Korea: Participatory Democracy Index
Iran
0.042
in 2025
North Korea
0.044
in 2025
Iran rank
167th
North Korea rank
165th
Participatory Democracy Index over time
- Iran
- North Korea
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 0.044 against 0.042 in Iran, a difference of 0.002.
The two have swapped places 14 times across 92 shared years of data; in 1900 it was North Korea ahead.
Iran ranks 167th and North Korea ranks 165th of 176 countries.
Across the 11 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 6 and North Korea in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | North Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0138 | 0.0094 | 0.0044 | Iran |
| 1910s | 0.026 | 0.007 | 0.019 | Iran |
| 1940s | 0.0474 | 0.0522 | 0.0048 | North Korea |
| 1950s | 0.0449 | 0.053 | 0.0081 | North Korea |
| 1960s | 0.0383 | 0.049 | 0.0107 | North Korea |
| 1970s | 0.0463 | 0.0448 | 0.0015 | Iran |
| 1980s | 0.0427 | 0.0434 | 0.0007 | North Korea |
| 1990s | 0.0623 | 0.0432 | 0.0191 | Iran |
| 2000s | 0.0539 | 0.043 | 0.0109 | Iran |
| 2010s | 0.0437 | 0.0435 | 0.0002 | Iran |
| 2020s | 0.0387 | 0.0438 | 0.0052 | North Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher participatory democracy index, Iran or North Korea?
- North Korea, at 0.044 against 0.042 in Iran as of 2025.
- What is the difference in participatory democracy index between Iran and North Korea?
- 0.002, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and North Korea?
- 92 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Iran and North Korea rank globally for participatory democracy index?
- Iran ranks 167th and North Korea ranks 165th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) β 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.