Which has higher varieties of democracy, Bulgaria or Romania?

Romania, at 0.605 against 0.599 in Bulgaria as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Romania?

195 years are reported by both, from 1831 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.

Bulgaria vs Romania: Varieties of democracy

Bulgaria

0.599

in 2025

Romania

0.605

in 2025

Bulgaria rank

72nd

Romania rank

70th

Varieties of democracy over time

Bulgaria
Romania

How they compare

Romania currently reports 0.605 against 0.599 in Bulgaria, a difference of 0.006.

The two have swapped places 10 times across 195 shared years of data; in 1831 it was Romania ahead.

Bulgaria ranks 72nd and Romania ranks 70th of 176 countries.

Across the 20 decades both report, Bulgaria averaged higher in 4 and Romania in 16.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Bulgaria	Romania	Difference	Ahead
1830s	0.019	0.0409	0.0219	Romania
1840s	0.018	0.0372	0.0192	Romania
1850s	0.018	0.0441	0.0261	Romania
1860s	0.0337	0.1935	0.1598	Romania
1870s	0.0681	0.2177	0.1496	Romania
1880s	0.1662	0.2191	0.0529	Romania
1890s	0.1743	0.2189	0.0446	Romania
1900s	0.2152	0.2384	0.0232	Romania
1910s	0.2103	0.2363	0.026	Romania
1920s	0.1851	0.2326	0.0475	Romania
1930s	0.1393	0.1998	0.0605	Romania
1940s	0.1316	0.1243	0.0073	Bulgaria
1950s	0.169	0.147	0.022	Bulgaria
1960s	0.1746	0.1832	0.0086	Romania
1970s	0.1761	0.186	0.0099	Romania
1980s	0.1794	0.1856	0.0062	Romania
1990s	0.6801	0.5736	0.1065	Bulgaria
2000s	0.7086	0.6123	0.0963	Bulgaria
2010s	0.6523	0.6972	0.0449	Romania
2020s	0.6423	0.6953	0.053	Romania

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Bulgaria or Romania?: Romania, at 0.605 against 0.599 in Bulgaria as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Bulgaria and Romania?: 0.006, with Romania ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Romania?: 195 years are reported by both, from 1831 to 2025.
How do Bulgaria and Romania rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Bulgaria ranks 72nd and Romania ranks 70th 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.