Which has higher varieties of democracy, Belgium or Estonia?

Belgium, at 0.889 against 0.887 in Estonia as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Estonia?

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.

Belgium vs Estonia: Varieties of democracy

Belgium

0.889

in 2025

Estonia

0.887

in 2025

Belgium rank

3rd

Estonia rank

5th

Varieties of democracy over time

Belgium
Estonia

How they compare

Belgium currently reports 0.889 against 0.887 in Estonia, a difference of 0.002.

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

Belgium ranks 3rd and Estonia ranks 5th of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 23 and Estonia in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Belgium	Estonia	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.047	0.029	0.018	Belgium
1790s	0.1336	0.019	0.1146	Belgium
1800s	0.118	0.019	0.099	Belgium
1810s	0.0998	0.019	0.0808	Belgium
1820s	0.098	0.0186	0.0794	Belgium
1830s	0.2588	0.018	0.2408	Belgium
1840s	0.3257	0.0176	0.3081	Belgium
1850s	0.3381	0.0222	0.3159	Belgium
1860s	0.3391	0.032	0.3071	Belgium
1870s	0.3483	0.0329	0.3154	Belgium
1880s	0.3603	0.0344	0.3259	Belgium
1890s	0.4394	0.0356	0.4038	Belgium
1900s	0.5079	0.0735	0.4344	Belgium
1910s	0.3235	0.1574	0.1661	Belgium
1920s	0.4933	0.6805	0.1872	Estonia
1930s	0.504	0.3939	0.1101	Belgium
1940s	0.3255	0.0959	0.2296	Belgium
1950s	0.7286	0.1043	0.6243	Belgium
1960s	0.8422	0.0951	0.7471	Belgium
1970s	0.8511	0.1068	0.7443	Belgium
1980s	0.8595	0.1225	0.737	Belgium
1990s	0.8787	0.795	0.0837	Belgium
2000s	0.8863	0.8706	0.0157	Belgium
2010s	0.9007	0.8929	0.0078	Belgium
2020s	0.894	0.8943	0.0003	Estonia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Belgium or Estonia?: Belgium, at 0.889 against 0.887 in Estonia as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Belgium and Estonia?: 0.002, with Belgium ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Estonia?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Belgium and Estonia rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Belgium ranks 3rd and Estonia ranks 5th 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.