Deliberative Democracy Index in Kenya
Kenya: Deliberative Democracy Index was 0.454 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Deliberative Democracy Index in Kenya, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 0.454 for deliberative democracy index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deliberative democracy index in Kenya peaked at 0.481 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.023, in 1900.
That places Kenya 65th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Deliberative Democracy Index in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.023 | — |
| 1901 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.029 | +26.1% |
| 1904 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.045 | +55.2% |
| 1921 | 0.056 | +24.4% |
| 1922 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.057 | +1.8% |
| 1926 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.056 | -1.8% |
| 1928 | 0.057 | +1.8% |
| 1929 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.055 | -3.5% |
| 1935 | 0.054 | -1.8% |
| 1936 | 0.054 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.054 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.056 | +3.7% |
| 1939 | 0.057 | +1.8% |
| 1940 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.058 | +1.8% |
| 1946 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.059 | +1.7% |
| 1949 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.063 | +6.8% |
| 1952 | 0.063 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.061 | -3.2% |
| 1954 | 0.061 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.061 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.063 | +3.3% |
| 1957 | 0.064 | +1.6% |
| 1958 | 0.067 | +4.7% |
| 1959 | 0.067 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.093 | +38.8% |
| 1961 | 0.094 | +1.1% |
| 1962 | 0.099 | +5.3% |
| 1963 | 0.157 | +58.6% |
| 1964 | 0.177 | +12.7% |
| 1965 | 0.18 | +1.7% |
| 1966 | 0.172 | -4.4% |
| 1967 | 0.163 | -5.2% |
| 1968 | 0.161 | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 0.146 | -9.3% |
| 1970 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.147 | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 0.147 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.149 | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 0.15 | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.154 | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 0.156 | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 0.166 | +6.4% |
| 1981 | 0.167 | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 0.152 | -9.0% |
| 1983 | 0.151 | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 0.15 | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.151 | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.149 | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 0.149 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.186 | +24.8% |
| 1991 | 0.19 | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 0.277 | +45.8% |
| 1993 | 0.308 | +11.2% |
| 1994 | 0.317 | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 0.319 | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 0.319 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.318 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 0.333 | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 0.333 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.345 | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 0.346 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 0.372 | +7.5% |
| 2003 | 0.437 | +17.5% |
| 2004 | 0.441 | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 0.441 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.439 | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 0.441 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 0.379 | -14.1% |
| 2009 | 0.381 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 0.412 | +8.1% |
| 2011 | 0.412 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.41 | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 0.426 | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 0.438 | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 0.439 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 0.435 | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 0.408 | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 0.398 | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 0.435 | +9.3% |
| 2020 | 0.44 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 0.435 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 0.464 | +6.7% |
| 2023 | 0.481 | +3.7% |
| 2024 | 0.457 | -5.0% |
| 2025 | 0.454 | -0.7% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 0.454 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2395, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 0.454 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2275, 2.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Deliberative Democracy Index in Kenya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | +58.6% | 0.099 | 0.157 |
| 1920 | +55.2% | 0.029 | 0.045 |
| 1992 | +45.8% | 0.19 | 0.277 |
| 1960 | +38.8% | 0.067 | 0.093 |
| 1903 | +26.1% | 0.023 | 0.029 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0272 | 0.023 | 0.029 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.029 | 0.029 | 0.029 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.0553 | 0.045 | 0.057 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0558 | 0.054 | 0.057 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0577 | 0.057 | 0.059 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0629 | 0.059 | 0.067 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1442 | 0.093 | 0.18 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1491 | 0.146 | 0.156 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1536 | 0.149 | 0.167 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.29 | 0.186 | 0.333 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4022 | 0.345 | 0.441 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4213 | 0.398 | 0.439 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4552 | 0.435 | 0.481 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More social development data for Kenya
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 617,125 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0107 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 deliberative democracy index in Kenya?
- Deliberative democracy index in Kenya was 0.454 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deliberative democracy index recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 0.481 in 2023.
- What is the lowest deliberative democracy index recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.023 in 1900.
- How does Kenya rank for deliberative democracy index?
- Kenya ranks 65th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is deliberative democracy index rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Deliberative Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, as well as the extent to which political elites justify their positions, justify them with the common good, acknowledge counterarguments, consult elites in policy changes, and society deliberates policy changes.