Citizen support for democracy in Iraq
Iraq: Citizen support for democracy was -1.38 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Citizen support for democracy in Iraq, 2004–2020
Source: Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for citizen support for democracy in Iraq is -1.38, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 670.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, citizen support for democracy in Iraq peaked at -0.0556 in 2004 and was at its lowest, -1.44, in 2018.
That places Iraq 129th out of 144 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | -0.1139 | -0.1585 | -0.0556 | 6 |
| 2010s | -0.6965 | -1.44 | -0.1796 | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.38 | -1.38 | -1.38 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More social development data for Iraq
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 322,345 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 270,671 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.369 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.571 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.578 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.369 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.224 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.22 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is citizen support for democracy in Iraq?
- Citizen support for democracy in Iraq was -1.38 in 2020, according to Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest citizen support for democracy recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was -0.0556 in 2004.
- What is the lowest citizen support for democracy recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.44 in 2018.
- How does Iraq rank for citizen support for democracy?
- Iraq ranks 129th out of 144 countries with data for 2020.
- Is citizen support for democracy rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 670.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Citizen support for democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the average extent to which citizens support a democratic political system and reject autocratic alternatives. It combines responses across more than one thousand nationally-representative surveys on how desirable citizens find democracy, how they evaluate undemocratic alternatives (such as a strong unelected leader, the army, or religious authorities), and how they assess democratic and autocratic political systems relative to another.