Which has higher varieties of democracy, Qatar or Saudi Arabia?

Qatar, at 0.034 against 0.016 in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Qatar and Saudi Arabia?

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.

Qatar vs Saudi Arabia: Varieties of democracy

Qatar

0.034

in 2025

Saudi Arabia

0.016

in 2025

Qatar rank

174th

Saudi Arabia rank

176th

Varieties of democracy over time

Qatar
Saudi Arabia

How they compare

Qatar currently reports 0.034 against 0.016 in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 0.018.

That makes Qatar's figure about 2.1 times Saudi Arabia's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Qatar ahead.

Qatar ranks 174th and Saudi Arabia ranks 176th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Qatar averaged higher in 12 and Saudi Arabia in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Qatar	Saudi Arabia	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.011	0.0093	0.0017	Qatar
1910s	0.0114	0.009	0.0024	Qatar
1920s	0.013	0.009	0.004	Qatar
1930s	0.013	0.0083	0.0047	Qatar
1940s	0.012	0.008	0.004	Qatar
1950s	0.013	0.0116	0.0014	Qatar
1960s	0.013	0.014	0.001	Saudi Arabia
1970s	0.0167	0.0132	0.0035	Qatar
1980s	0.016	0.014	0.002	Qatar
1990s	0.0168	0.015	0.0018	Qatar
2000s	0.0344	0.0184	0.016	Qatar
2010s	0.0412	0.017	0.0242	Qatar
2020s	0.0702	0.0148	0.0553	Qatar

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Qatar or Saudi Arabia?: Qatar, at 0.034 against 0.016 in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Qatar and Saudi Arabia?: 0.018, with Qatar ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Qatar and Saudi Arabia?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Qatar and Saudi Arabia rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Qatar ranks 174th and Saudi Arabia ranks 176th 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.