Democracy Index in Egypt
Egypt: Democracy Index was -4 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
-4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
139th
of 168 countries
All-time high
6
in 1951
All-time low
-7
in 1952
Years of data
92
1922–2018
Democracy Index in Egypt, 1922–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, democracy index in Egypt stood at -4.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Egypt peaked at 6 in 1951 and was at its lowest, -7, in 1952.
That places Egypt 139th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy Index in Egypt, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 | 4 | — |
| 1923 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 1 | -75.0% |
| 1929 | -3 | -400.0% |
| 1930 | -6 | +100.0% |
| 1931 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -2 | -66.7% |
| 1935 | 1 | -150.0% |
| 1936 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 6 | +500.0% |
| 1952 | -7 | -216.7% |
| 1953 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -6 | -14.3% |
| 1977 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -3 | -50.0% |
| 2006 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -2 | -33.3% |
| 2012 | -3 | +50.0% |
| 2013 | -4 | +33.3% |
| 2014 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -4 | -0.0% |
Egypt compared with similar countries
- Egypt's -4 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5. (43 countries reporting)
- Egypt's -4 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is -3, 1.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 2.75 | -3 | 4 | 8 |
| 1930s | -2.1 | -6 | 1 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 1950s | -5.56 | -7 | 6 | 9 |
| 1960s | -7 | -7 | -7 | 10 |
| 1970s | -6.6 | -7 | -6 | 10 |
| 1980s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1990s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 2000s | -4.5 | -6 | -3 | 10 |
| 2010s | -3.56 | -4 | -2 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More social development data for Egypt
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 220,033 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 23,763 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (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 23,763 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0019 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 democracy index in Egypt?
- Democracy index in Egypt was -4 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 Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1951.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was -7 in 1952.
- How does Egypt rank for democracy index?
- Egypt ranks 139th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Egypt 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 — 92 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).