Which has higher varieties of democracy, Malaysia or Nigeria?

Nigeria, at 0.505 against 0.504 in Malaysia as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Nigeria?

112 years are reported by both, from 1914 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.

Malaysia vs Nigeria: Varieties of democracy

Malaysia

0.504

in 2025

Nigeria

0.505

in 2025

Malaysia rank

86th

Nigeria rank

85th

Varieties of democracy over time

Malaysia
Nigeria

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 0.505 against 0.504 in Malaysia, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 8 times across 112 shared years of data; in 1914 it was Nigeria ahead.

Malaysia ranks 86th and Nigeria ranks 85th of 176 countries.

Across the 12 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 5 and Nigeria in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Malaysia	Nigeria	Difference	Ahead
1910s	0.046	0.1138	0.0678	Nigeria
1920s	0.046	0.1331	0.0871	Nigeria
1930s	0.046	0.1406	0.0946	Nigeria
1940s	0.05	0.1417	0.0917	Nigeria
1950s	0.1794	0.1743	0.0051	Malaysia
1960s	0.2945	0.2235	0.071	Malaysia
1970s	0.2318	0.1915	0.0403	Malaysia
1980s	0.2685	0.2593	0.0092	Malaysia
1990s	0.2591	0.2232	0.0359	Malaysia
2000s	0.303	0.4317	0.1287	Nigeria
2010s	0.3527	0.5202	0.1675	Nigeria
2020s	0.4735	0.4963	0.0228	Nigeria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Malaysia or Nigeria?: Nigeria, at 0.505 against 0.504 in Malaysia as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Malaysia and Nigeria?: 0.001, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Nigeria?: 112 years are reported by both, from 1914 to 2025.
How do Malaysia and Nigeria rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Malaysia ranks 86th and Nigeria ranks 85th 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.