Which has higher varieties of democracy, Barbados or Jamaica?

Jamaica, at 0.805 against 0.797 in Barbados as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Barbados and Jamaica?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 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.

Barbados vs Jamaica: Varieties of democracy

Barbados

0.797

in 2025

Jamaica

0.805

in 2025

Barbados rank

29th

Jamaica rank

27th

Varieties of democracy over time

Barbados
Jamaica

How they compare

Jamaica currently reports 0.805 against 0.797 in Barbados, a difference of 0.008.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Jamaica ahead.

Barbados ranks 29th and Jamaica ranks 27th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Barbados averaged higher in 6 and Jamaica in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Barbados	Jamaica	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.114	0.1996	0.0856	Jamaica
1910s	0.114	0.1993	0.0853	Jamaica
1920s	0.114	0.1985	0.0845	Jamaica
1930s	0.1156	0.1988	0.0832	Jamaica
1940s	0.1425	0.2657	0.1232	Jamaica
1950s	0.3687	0.4409	0.0722	Jamaica
1960s	0.6523	0.5282	0.1241	Barbados
1970s	0.7359	0.5022	0.2337	Barbados
1980s	0.7439	0.5164	0.2275	Barbados
1990s	0.7614	0.6199	0.1415	Barbados
2000s	0.7705	0.7348	0.0357	Barbados
2010s	0.7806	0.7951	0.0145	Jamaica
2020s	0.8035	0.8013	0.0022	Barbados

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Barbados or Jamaica?: Jamaica, at 0.805 against 0.797 in Barbados as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Barbados and Jamaica?: 0.008, with Jamaica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Barbados and Jamaica?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Barbados and Jamaica rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Barbados ranks 29th and Jamaica ranks 27th 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.

Individual pages

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: 07 August 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.