Democracy Index in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Democracy Index was -10 in 2018. ▬ Flat
Latest (2018)
-10
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
165th
of 168 countries
All-time high
-10
in 1926
All-time low
-10
in 1926
Years of data
93
1926–2018
Democracy Index in Saudi Arabia, 1926–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded -10 for democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 93 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Saudi Arabia peaked at -10 in 1926 and was at its lowest, -10, in 1926.
That places Saudi Arabia 165th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Democracy Index in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 | -10 | — |
| 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 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 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% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's -10 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10. (50 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's -10 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is -3, 3.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 4 |
| 1930s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 1940s | -10 | -10 | -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 Saudi Arabia
More social development data for Saudi Arabia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 448 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,368 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (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 2,368 (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 Saudi Arabia?
- Democracy index in Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was -10 in 1926.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was -10 in 1926.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for democracy index?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 165th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 93 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).