Which has higher varieties of democracy, Belgium or Norway?

Norway, at 0.89 against 0.889 in Belgium as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium 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 Varieties of democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Belgium vs Norway: Varieties of democracy

Belgium

0.889

in 2025

Norway

0.89

in 2025

Belgium rank

3rd

Norway rank

2nd

Varieties of democracy over time

Belgium
Norway

How they compare

Norway currently reports 0.89 against 0.889 in Belgium, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 19 times across 219 shared years of data; in 1807 it was Belgium ahead.

Belgium ranks 3rd and Norway ranks 2nd of 176 countries.

Across the 23 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 14 and Norway in 9.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Belgium	Norway	Difference	Ahead
1800s	0.118	0.014	0.104	Belgium
1810s	0.0998	0.0873	0.0125	Belgium
1820s	0.098	0.1536	0.0556	Norway
1830s	0.2588	0.1642	0.0946	Belgium
1840s	0.3257	0.206	0.1197	Belgium
1850s	0.3381	0.2512	0.0869	Belgium
1860s	0.3391	0.2645	0.0746	Belgium
1870s	0.3483	0.2576	0.0907	Belgium
1880s	0.3603	0.3386	0.0217	Belgium
1890s	0.4394	0.3852	0.0542	Belgium
1900s	0.5079	0.4719	0.036	Belgium
1910s	0.3235	0.6349	0.3114	Norway
1920s	0.4933	0.7085	0.2152	Norway
1930s	0.504	0.7152	0.2112	Norway
1940s	0.3255	0.4239	0.0984	Norway
1950s	0.7286	0.795	0.0664	Norway
1960s	0.8422	0.8289	0.0133	Belgium
1970s	0.8511	0.8442	0.0069	Belgium
1980s	0.8595	0.8639	0.0044	Norway
1990s	0.8787	0.8808	0.0021	Norway
2000s	0.8863	0.895	0.0087	Norway
2010s	0.9007	0.8955	0.0052	Belgium
2020s	0.894	0.8902	0.0038	Belgium

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Belgium or Norway?: Norway, at 0.89 against 0.889 in Belgium as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Belgium and Norway?: 0.001, with Norway ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Norway?: 219 years are reported by both, from 1807 to 2025.
How do Belgium and Norway rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Belgium ranks 3rd and Norway ranks 2nd 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.