Democracy Index in Estonia
Estonia: Democracy Index was 9 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
9
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
33rd
of 168 countries
All-time high
10
in 1919
All-time low
-9
in 1941
Years of data
101
1917–2018
Democracy Index in Estonia, 1917–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, democracy index in Estonia stood at 9.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Estonia peaked at 10 in 1919 and was at its lowest, -9, in 1941.
Estonia ranks 33rd of 168 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy Index in Estonia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | 8 | — |
| 1919 | 10 | +25.0% |
| 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 | 6 | -40.0% |
| 1934 | 2 | -66.7% |
| 1935 | -2 | -200.0% |
| 1936 | -6 | +200.0% |
| 1937 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -9 | +50.0% |
| 1942 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -7 | -22.2% |
| 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 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -6 | -14.3% |
| 1989 | -4 | -33.3% |
| 1990 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1991 | 6 | — |
| 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 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2000 | 9 | +28.6% |
| 2001 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 | +0.0% |
Estonia compared with similar countries
- Estonia's 9 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10, 90% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Estonia's 9 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 9 | 8 | 10 | 2 |
| 1920s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.2 | -6 | 10 | 10 |
| 1940s | -8.7 | -9 | -6 | 10 |
| 1950s | -7.6 | -9 | -7 | 10 |
| 1960s | -7 | -7 | -7 | 10 |
| 1970s | -7 | -7 | -7 | 10 |
| 1980s | -6.6 | -7 | -4 | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.5 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
- 33 Albania 9 compare
- 33 Argentina 9 compare
- 33 Bulgaria 9 compare
- 33 Croatia 9 compare
- 33 Czechia 9 compare
- 33 India 9 compare
- 33 Indonesia 9 compare
- 33 Jamaica 9 compare
- 33 Kenya 9 compare
- 33 Moldova 9 compare
- 33 Montenegro 9 compare
- 33 North Macedonia 9 compare
- 33 Panama 9 compare
- 33 Paraguay 9 compare
- 33 Peru 9 compare
- 33 Romania 9 compare
- 33 South Africa 9 compare
- 33 Trinidad and Tobago 9 compare
More social development data for Estonia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41,299 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 86 (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 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 86 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0302 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 Estonia?
- Democracy index in Estonia was 9 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 Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 10 in 1919.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was -9 in 1941.
- How does Estonia rank for democracy index?
- Estonia ranks 33rd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Estonia 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 — 101 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).