Democracy Index in Italy
Italy: Democracy Index was 10 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
10
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 168 countries
All-time high
10
in 1948
All-time low
-9
in 1928
Years of data
158
1861–2018
Democracy Index in Italy, 1861–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, democracy index in Italy stood at 10. That is the highest value across all 158 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Italy peaked at 10 in 1948 and was at its lowest, -9, in 1928.
Italy ranks 1st of 168 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy Index in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1861 | -4 | — |
| 1862 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1863 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1864 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1865 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1866 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1867 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1868 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1869 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1870 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1871 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1872 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1873 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1874 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1875 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1876 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1877 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1878 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1879 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1880 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1881 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1882 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1883 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1884 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1885 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1886 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1887 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1888 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1889 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1890 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1891 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1892 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1893 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1894 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1895 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1896 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1897 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1898 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1899 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1900 | -1 | -75.0% |
| 1901 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -2 | +100.0% |
| 1923 | -3 | +50.0% |
| 1924 | -4 | +33.3% |
| 1925 | -6 | +50.0% |
| 1926 | -7 | +16.7% |
| 1927 | -8 | +14.3% |
| 1928 | -9 | +12.5% |
| 1929 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 2 | — |
| 1946 | 5 | +150.0% |
| 1947 | 8 | +60.0% |
| 1948 | 10 | +25.0% |
| 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 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 10 | +0.0% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 10 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Italy's 10 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860s | -4 | -4 | -4 | 9 |
| 1870s | -4 | -4 | -4 | 10 |
| 1880s | -4 | -4 | -4 | 10 |
| 1890s | -4 | -4 | -4 | 10 |
| 1900s | -1 | -1 | -1 | 10 |
| 1910s | -1 | -1 | -1 | 10 |
| 1920s | -5 | -9 | -1 | 10 |
| 1930s | -9 | -9 | -9 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.8 | -9 | 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 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2010s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 1 Australia 10 compare
- 1 Austria 10 compare
- 1 Canada 10 compare
- 1 Cape Verde 10 compare
- 1 Chile 10 compare
- 1 Costa Rica 10 compare
- 1 Cyprus 10 compare
- 1 Denmark 10 compare
- 1 Finland 10 compare
- 1 France 10 compare
- 1 Germany 10 compare
- 1 Greece 10 compare
- 1 Hungary 10 compare
- 1 Ireland 10 compare
- 1 Japan 10 compare
- 1 Lithuania 10 compare
- 1 Luxembourg 10 compare
- 1 Mauritius 10 compare
- 1 Mongolia 10 compare
- 1 Netherlands 10 compare
- 1 New Zealand 10 compare
- 1 Norway 10 compare
- 1 Poland 10 compare
- 1 Portugal 10 compare
- 1 Slovakia 10 compare
- 1 Slovenia 10 compare
- 1 Spain 10 compare
- 1 Sweden 10 compare
- 1 Switzerland 10 compare
- 1 Taiwan 10 compare
- 1 Uruguay 10 compare
More social development data for Italy
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 192,914 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 266 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 100 % 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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 266 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0033 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 Italy?
- Democracy index in Italy was 10 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 10 in 1948.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was -9 in 1928.
- How does Italy rank for democracy index?
- Italy ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Italy 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 — 158 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).