Democracy Index in Philippines
Philippines: Democracy Index was 8 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Democracy Index in Philippines, 1935–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Philippines recorded 8 for democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 81 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Philippines peaked at 8 in 1987 and was at its lowest, -9, in 1972.
That places Philippines 52nd out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it 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 Philippines, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 5 | — |
| 1936 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 2 | -60.0% |
| 1945 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 5 | +150.0% |
| 1951 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2 | -60.0% |
| 1970 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | -9 | -550.0% |
| 1973 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -8 | -11.1% |
| 1982 | -7 | -12.5% |
| 1983 | -6 | -14.3% |
| 1984 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 1 | -116.7% |
| 1987 | 8 | +700.0% |
| 1988 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8 | +0.0% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 8 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 8 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.5, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 1940s | 2.43 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 1950s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.7 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 1970s | -6.8 | -9 | 2 | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.7 | -9 | 8 | 10 |
| 1990s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 2000s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
- 52 Belgium 8 compare
- 52 Botswana 8 compare
- 52 Brazil 8 compare
- 52 East Timor 8 compare
- 52 El Salvador 8 compare
- 52 Ghana 8 compare
- 52 Guatemala 8 compare
- 52 Kyrgyzstan 8 compare
- 52 Latvia 8 compare
- 52 Lesotho 8 compare
- 52 Mexico 8 compare
- 52 Myanmar 8 compare
- 52 Serbia 8 compare
- 52 Solomon Islands 8 compare
- 52 South Korea 8 compare
- 52 United Kingdom 8 compare
More social development data for Philippines
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,032 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 807 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (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 807 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in Philippines?
- Democracy index in Philippines was 8 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 8 in 1987.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was -9 in 1972.
- How does Philippines rank for democracy index?
- Philippines ranks 52nd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Philippines 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 — 81 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).