What is citizen satisfaction with democracy in Germany?

Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Germany was 1.15 in 2020, according to Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in Germany?

The highest recorded value was 1.32 in 1979.

What is the lowest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in Germany?

The lowest recorded value was 0.0367 in 1973.

How does Germany rank for citizen satisfaction with democracy?

Germany ranks 15th out of 131 countries with data for 2020.

Is citizen satisfaction with democracy rising or falling in Germany?

Over the last ten years it is up 151.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Germany data come from?

The figures come from Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Citizen satisfaction with democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Germany

Name: Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Germany
Creator: Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Germany: Citizen satisfaction with democracy was 1.15 in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)

1.15

Change on year

up 18.0%

World rank

15th

of 131 countries

All-time high

1.32

in 1979

All-time low

0.0367

in 1973

Years of data

1973–2020

Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Germany, 1973–2020

Source: Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Germany recorded 1.15 for citizen satisfaction with democracy in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.0% on the previous year and up 151.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, citizen satisfaction with democracy in Germany peaked at 1.32 in 1979 and was at its lowest, 0.0367, in 1973.

Germany ranks 15th of 131 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1970s	0.8998	0.0367	1.32	7
1980s	1.16	1.02	1.29	10
1990s	0.403	0.1742	0.977	10
2000s	0.24	0.122	0.3819	10
2010s	0.8551	0.4564	0.9719	10
2020s	1.15	1.15	1.15	1

Countries ranked near Germany

12 Austria 1.35 compare
13 Ghana 1.32 compare
16 Namibia 1.11 compare
17 Burundi 1.1 compare
18 Thailand 1.07 compare

See the full ranking of 131 places →

More social development data for Germany

Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 2.66 million (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 327 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.828 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.914 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.852 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.828 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.593 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.782 (2025)

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is citizen satisfaction with democracy in Germany?: Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Germany was 1.15 in 2020, according to Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in Germany?: The highest recorded value was 1.32 in 1979.
What is the lowest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in Germany?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0367 in 1973.
How does Germany rank for citizen satisfaction with democracy?: Germany ranks 15th out of 131 countries with data for 2020.
Is citizen satisfaction with democracy rising or falling in Germany?: Over the last ten years it is up 151.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Germany data come from?: The figures come from Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Citizen satisfaction with democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Citizen satisfaction with democracy
Source: Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 131 places, 3,021 data points, 1973–2020
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the average extent to which citizens are satisfied with democracy in their own country. It combines responses across more than one thousand nationally-representative surveys on how citizens' satisfaction with democracy.