Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Switzerland
Switzerland: Citizen satisfaction with democracy was 2.58 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Switzerland, 1999–2020
Source: Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for citizen satisfaction with democracy in Switzerland is 2.58, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, citizen satisfaction with democracy in Switzerland peaked at 2.59 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.37, in 1999.
Switzerland ranks 2nd of 131 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1.37 | — |
| 2000 | 1.39 | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 1.4 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 1.42 | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 1.43 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 1.43 | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 1.59 | +11.4% |
| 2006 | 1.75 | +10.0% |
| 2007 | 1.83 | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 1.93 | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 2.03 | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 2.12 | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 2.22 | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 2.38 | +7.4% |
| 2013 | 2.42 | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 2.46 | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 2.5 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 2.54 | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 2.54 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 2.59 | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 2.59 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 2.58 | -0.0% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 2.58 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.303, 8.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 2.58 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is -0.0062. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.37 | 1.37 | 1.37 | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.62 | 1.39 | 2.03 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.44 | 2.12 | 2.59 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.58 | 2.58 | 2.58 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More social development data for Switzerland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 208,287 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6 (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 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0229 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 Switzerland?
- Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Switzerland was 2.58 in 2020, according to Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.59 in 2018.
- What is the lowest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.37 in 1999.
- How does Switzerland rank for citizen satisfaction with democracy?
- Switzerland ranks 2nd out of 131 countries with data for 2020.
- Is citizen satisfaction with democracy rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.