Which has higher varieties of democracy, Afghanistan or China?

China, at 0.072 against 0.069 in Afghanistan as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and China?

237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

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

Afghanistan vs China: Varieties of democracy

Afghanistan

0.069

in 2025

China

0.072

in 2025

Afghanistan rank

172nd

China rank

171st

Varieties of democracy over time

Afghanistan
China

How they compare

China currently reports 0.072 against 0.069 in Afghanistan, a difference of 0.003.

The two have swapped places 12 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was China ahead.

Afghanistan ranks 172nd and China ranks 171st of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 7 and China in 18.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Afghanistan	China	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.019	0.036	0.017	China
1790s	0.019	0.036	0.017	China
1800s	0.019	0.036	0.017	China
1810s	0.019	0.036	0.017	China
1820s	0.019	0.036	0.017	China
1830s	0.019	0.036	0.017	China
1840s	0.019	0.036	0.017	China
1850s	0.019	0.0332	0.0142	China
1860s	0.019	0.0401	0.0211	China
1870s	0.019	0.044	0.025	China
1880s	0.019	0.044	0.025	China
1890s	0.019	0.0471	0.0281	China
1900s	0.0204	0.056	0.0356	China
1910s	0.0235	0.1027	0.0792	China
1920s	0.08	0.1066	0.0266	China
1930s	0.0909	0.0888	0.0021	Afghanistan
1940s	0.0876	0.1056	0.018	China
1950s	0.0854	0.0729	0.0125	Afghanistan
1960s	0.1276	0.0701	0.0575	Afghanistan
1970s	0.1216	0.0721	0.0495	Afghanistan
1980s	0.0858	0.0998	0.014	China
1990s	0.0857	0.0996	0.0139	China
2000s	0.2601	0.0981	0.162	Afghanistan
2010s	0.3419	0.0843	0.2576	Afghanistan
2020s	0.1297	0.0743	0.0553	Afghanistan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Afghanistan or China?: China, at 0.072 against 0.069 in Afghanistan as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Afghanistan and China?: 0.003, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and China?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Afghanistan and China rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Afghanistan ranks 172nd and China ranks 171st of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Varieties of democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Afghanistan vs China: Varieties of democracy. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 October 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/varieties-democracy-vdem/afghanistan/china/

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About this data

Indicator: Varieties of democracy
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 09 October 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.