Democracy Index in Bhutan
Bhutan: Democracy Index was 7 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
7
Change on year
up 40.0%
World rank
69th
of 168 countries
All-time high
7
in 2018
All-time low
-10
in 1907
Years of data
112
1907–2018
Democracy Index in Bhutan, 1907–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy index in Bhutan is 7, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 112 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 40.0% on the previous year and up 133.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Bhutan peaked at 7 in 2018 and was at its lowest, -10, in 1907.
Bhutan ranks 69th of 168 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.
Democracy Index in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1907 | -10 | — |
| 1908 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -5 | -50.0% |
| 2006 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 3 | -160.0% |
| 2009 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 | +66.7% |
| 2014 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 | +40.0% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 7 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 1.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 7 is above the median for South Asia, which is 7, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 3 |
| 1910s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 1920s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 1930s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 1940s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 1950s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 1960s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 1970s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 1980s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 1990s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 2000s | -5.9 | -10 | 3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.56 | 3 | 7 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 69 Armenia 7 compare
- 69 Benin 7 compare
- 69 Bolivia 7 compare
- 69 Colombia 7 compare
- 69 Dominican Republic 7 compare
- 69 Georgia 7 compare
- 69 Guyana 7 compare
- 69 Honduras 7 compare
- 69 Liberia 7 compare
- 69 Malaysia 7 compare
- 69 Nepal 7 compare
- 69 Nigeria 7 compare
- 69 Pakistan 7 compare
- 69 Senegal 7 compare
- 69 Sierra Leone 7 compare
- 69 Tunisia 7 compare
More social development data for Bhutan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 7,257 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0091 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 7,257 (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -2.37 % change on previous year (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 democracy index in Bhutan?
- Democracy index in Bhutan was 7 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 2018.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was -10 in 1907.
- How does Bhutan rank for democracy index?
- Bhutan ranks 69th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 133.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 112 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).