Which has higher varieties of democracy, Iceland or Japan?

Japan, at 0.819 against 0.807 in Iceland as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Japan?

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.

Iceland vs Japan: Varieties of democracy

Iceland

0.807

in 2025

Japan

0.819

in 2025

Iceland rank

26th

Japan rank

24th

Varieties of democracy over time

Iceland
Japan

How they compare

Japan currently reports 0.819 against 0.807 in Iceland, a difference of 0.012.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Iceland ahead.

Iceland ranks 26th and Japan ranks 24th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 11 and Japan in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iceland	Japan	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.4663	0.173	0.2933	Iceland
1910s	0.6412	0.177	0.4642	Iceland
1920s	0.7719	0.1964	0.5755	Iceland
1930s	0.7793	0.1909	0.5884	Iceland
1940s	0.7847	0.2313	0.5534	Iceland
1950s	0.8049	0.7018	0.1031	Iceland
1960s	0.8138	0.8305	0.0167	Japan
1970s	0.8254	0.8352	0.0098	Japan
1980s	0.8507	0.8355	0.0152	Iceland
1990s	0.8645	0.8369	0.0276	Iceland
2000s	0.8703	0.8429	0.0274	Iceland
2010s	0.8667	0.8299	0.0368	Iceland
2020s	0.8362	0.8242	0.012	Iceland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Iceland or Japan?: Japan, at 0.819 against 0.807 in Iceland as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Iceland and Japan?: 0.012, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Japan?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Iceland and Japan rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Iceland ranks 26th and Japan ranks 24th 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.