Which has higher varieties of democracy, Norway or Sweden?

Norway, at 0.89 against 0.889 in Sweden as of 2025.

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

219 years are reported by both, from 1807 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.

Norway vs Sweden: Varieties of democracy

Norway

0.89

in 2025

Sweden

0.889

in 2025

Norway rank

2nd

Sweden rank

3rd

Varieties of democracy over time

Norway
Sweden

How they compare

Norway currently reports 0.89 against 0.889 in Sweden, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 219 shared years of data; in 1807 it was Sweden ahead.

Norway ranks 2nd and Sweden ranks 3rd of 176 countries.

Across the 23 decades both report, Norway averaged higher in 8 and Sweden in 15.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Norway	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1800s	0.014	0.212	0.198	Sweden
1810s	0.0873	0.261	0.1737	Sweden
1820s	0.1536	0.2708	0.1172	Sweden
1830s	0.1642	0.2748	0.1106	Sweden
1840s	0.206	0.3065	0.1005	Sweden
1850s	0.2512	0.3078	0.0566	Sweden
1860s	0.2645	0.3095	0.045	Sweden
1870s	0.2576	0.3133	0.0557	Sweden
1880s	0.3386	0.3135	0.0251	Norway
1890s	0.3852	0.3147	0.0705	Norway
1900s	0.4719	0.3129	0.159	Norway
1910s	0.6349	0.3682	0.2667	Norway
1920s	0.7085	0.661	0.0475	Norway
1930s	0.7152	0.7	0.0152	Norway
1940s	0.4239	0.7107	0.2868	Sweden
1950s	0.795	0.7719	0.0231	Norway
1960s	0.8289	0.7756	0.0533	Norway
1970s	0.8442	0.8891	0.0449	Sweden
1980s	0.8639	0.9074	0.0435	Sweden
1990s	0.8808	0.9115	0.0307	Sweden
2000s	0.895	0.9115	0.0165	Sweden
2010s	0.8955	0.9126	0.0171	Sweden
2020s	0.8902	0.891	0.0008	Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Norway or Sweden?: Norway, at 0.89 against 0.889 in Sweden as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Norway and Sweden?: 0.001, with Norway ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and Sweden?: 219 years are reported by both, from 1807 to 2025.
How do Norway and Sweden rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Norway ranks 2nd 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.