Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Spain
Spain: Citizen satisfaction with democracy was -0.2968 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Spain, 1985–2020
Source: Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Spain recorded -0.2968 for citizen satisfaction with democracy in 2020.
The figure is up 22.8% on the previous year and down 413.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, citizen satisfaction with democracy in Spain peaked at 1.07 in 2000 and was at its lowest, -0.9612, in 2013.
Spain ranks 81st of 131 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.1885 | — |
| 1986 | 0.1974 | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 0.1775 | -10.1% |
| 1988 | 0.1474 | -16.9% |
| 1989 | 0.269 | +82.4% |
| 1990 | 0.2886 | +7.3% |
| 1991 | 0.2372 | -17.8% |
| 1992 | -0.0394 | -116.6% |
| 1993 | -0.2587 | +556.5% |
| 1994 | -0.3402 | +31.5% |
| 1995 | -0.1113 | -67.3% |
| 1996 | 0.342 | -407.2% |
| 1997 | 0.5616 | +64.2% |
| 1998 | 0.7675 | +36.7% |
| 1999 | 0.9399 | +22.5% |
| 2000 | 1.07 | +14.3% |
| 2001 | 0.7284 | -32.2% |
| 2002 | 0.7583 | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 0.7265 | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 0.8282 | +14.0% |
| 2005 | 0.8677 | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 0.8224 | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 0.8405 | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 0.6478 | -22.9% |
| 2009 | 0.3824 | -41.0% |
| 2010 | 0.0948 | -75.2% |
| 2011 | -0.2822 | -397.6% |
| 2012 | -0.714 | +153.0% |
| 2013 | -0.9612 | +34.6% |
| 2014 | -0.9241 | -3.9% |
| 2015 | -0.7479 | -19.1% |
| 2016 | -0.6102 | -18.4% |
| 2017 | -0.4851 | -20.5% |
| 2018 | -0.5257 | +8.4% |
| 2019 | -0.3846 | -26.8% |
| 2020 | -0.2968 | -22.8% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's -0.2968 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.303. (47 countries reporting)
- Spain's -0.2968 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is -0.0062, 47.8× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Spain changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | -556.5% | -0.0394 | -0.2587 |
| 1996 | +407.2% | -0.1113 | 0.342 |
| 2011 | -397.6% | 0.0948 | -0.2822 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.196 | 0.1474 | 0.269 | 5 |
| 1990s | 0.2387 | -0.3402 | 0.9399 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7677 | 0.3824 | 1.07 | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.554 | -0.9612 | 0.0948 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.2968 | -0.2968 | -0.2968 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More social development data for Spain
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 511,079 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 186 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 186 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0104 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is citizen satisfaction with democracy in Spain?
- Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Spain was -0.2968 in 2020, according to Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 1.07 in 2000.
- What is the lowest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.9612 in 2013.
- How does Spain rank for citizen satisfaction with democracy?
- Spain ranks 81st out of 131 countries with data for 2020.
- Is citizen satisfaction with democracy rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 413.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Spain 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
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About this data
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.