Which has higher varieties of democracy, France or Switzerland?

Switzerland, at 0.882 against 0.865 in France as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for France and Switzerland?

228 years are reported by both, from 1798 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.

France vs Switzerland: Varieties of democracy

France

0.865

in 2025

Switzerland

0.882

in 2025

France rank

9th

Switzerland rank

7th

Varieties of democracy over time

France
Switzerland

How they compare

Switzerland currently reports 0.882 against 0.865 in France, a difference of 0.017.

The two have swapped places 13 times across 228 shared years of data; in 1798 it was France ahead.

France ranks 9th and Switzerland ranks 7th of 176 countries.

Across the 24 decades both report, France averaged higher in 4 and Switzerland in 20.

Head to head by decade

Decade	France	Switzerland	Difference	Ahead
1790s	0.269	0.215	0.054	France
1800s	0.118	0.1817	0.0637	Switzerland
1810s	0.1486	0.178	0.0294	Switzerland
1820s	0.171	0.178	0.007	Switzerland
1830s	0.2058	0.2095	0.0037	Switzerland
1840s	0.2527	0.2573	0.0046	Switzerland
1850s	0.2159	0.5423	0.3264	Switzerland
1860s	0.199	0.5415	0.3425	Switzerland
1870s	0.4815	0.5653	0.0838	Switzerland
1880s	0.5463	0.5806	0.0343	Switzerland
1890s	0.5445	0.5796	0.0351	Switzerland
1900s	0.5598	0.5949	0.0351	Switzerland
1910s	0.5365	0.5983	0.0618	Switzerland
1920s	0.563	0.6066	0.0436	Switzerland
1930s	0.5548	0.6068	0.052	Switzerland
1940s	0.3265	0.6065	0.28	Switzerland
1950s	0.7444	0.6171	0.1273	France
1960s	0.7712	0.6214	0.1498	France
1970s	0.844	0.8122	0.0318	France
1980s	0.8661	0.8713	0.0052	Switzerland
1990s	0.8738	0.8879	0.0141	Switzerland
2000s	0.8763	0.8891	0.0128	Switzerland
2010s	0.8833	0.9024	0.0191	Switzerland
2020s	0.8682	0.8898	0.0217	Switzerland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, France or Switzerland?: Switzerland, at 0.882 against 0.865 in France as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between France and Switzerland?: 0.017, with Switzerland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and Switzerland?: 228 years are reported by both, from 1798 to 2025.
How do France and Switzerland rank globally for varieties of democracy?: France ranks 9th and Switzerland ranks 7th 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.