Which has higher varieties of democracy, Ireland or Sweden?

Sweden, at 0.889 against 0.887 in Ireland as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and Sweden?

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.

Ireland vs Sweden: Varieties of democracy

Ireland

0.887

in 2025

Sweden

0.889

in 2025

Ireland rank

5th

Sweden rank

3rd

Varieties of democracy over time

Ireland
Sweden

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 0.889 against 0.887 in Ireland, a difference of 0.002.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Ireland ahead.

Ireland ranks 5th and Sweden ranks 3rd of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 19 and Sweden in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Ireland	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.243	0.187	0.056	Ireland
1790s	0.2719	0.1898	0.0821	Ireland
1800s	0.2722	0.1952	0.077	Ireland
1810s	0.2697	0.261	0.0087	Ireland
1820s	0.2722	0.2708	0.0014	Ireland
1830s	0.2981	0.2748	0.0233	Ireland
1840s	0.3125	0.3065	0.006	Ireland
1850s	0.3163	0.3078	0.0085	Ireland
1860s	0.3272	0.3095	0.0177	Ireland
1870s	0.355	0.3133	0.0417	Ireland
1880s	0.4083	0.3135	0.0948	Ireland
1890s	0.4577	0.3147	0.143	Ireland
1900s	0.4764	0.3129	0.1635	Ireland
1910s	0.4504	0.3682	0.0822	Ireland
1920s	0.6338	0.661	0.0272	Sweden
1930s	0.7494	0.7	0.0494	Ireland
1940s	0.754	0.7107	0.0433	Ireland
1950s	0.7766	0.7719	0.0047	Ireland
1960s	0.8039	0.7756	0.0283	Ireland
1970s	0.8219	0.8891	0.0672	Sweden
1980s	0.8336	0.9074	0.0738	Sweden
1990s	0.871	0.9115	0.0405	Sweden
2000s	0.8864	0.9115	0.0251	Sweden
2010s	0.8924	0.9126	0.0202	Sweden
2020s	0.8928	0.891	0.0018	Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

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