Democracy Index in Malaysia
Malaysia: Democracy Index was 7 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Democracy Index in Malaysia, 1957–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 7 for democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 62 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 40.0% on the previous year and up 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Malaysia peaked at 7 in 1957 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1969.
Malaysia ranks 69th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 |
| 1960s | 6.4 | 1 | 7 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.7 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 1980s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.6 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.6 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.67 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 69 Armenia 7 compare
- 69 Benin 7 compare
- 69 Bhutan 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 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 Malaysia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 150,164 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 2,477 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Key features of liberal democracy 0.355 (2025)
- Varieties of democracy 0.504 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.586 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.791 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.504 (2025)
- Liberal democracy 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in Malaysia?
- Democracy index in Malaysia 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1957.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1969.
- How does Malaysia rank for democracy index?
- Malaysia ranks 69th out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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 — 62 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).