Democracy Index in Singapore
Singapore: Democracy Index was -2 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Democracy Index in Singapore, 1965–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, democracy index in Singapore stood at -2. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Singapore peaked at -2 in 2005 and was at its lowest, -4, in 1965.
That places Singapore 128th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Democracy Index in Singapore, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | -4 | — |
| 1966 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -2 | -50.0% |
| 2006 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -2 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -2 | -0.0% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's -2 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10. (50 countries reporting)
- Singapore's -2 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.5. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -4 | -4 | -4 | 5 |
| 1970s | -4 | -4 | -4 | 10 |
| 1980s | -4 | -4 | -4 | 10 |
| 1990s | -4 | -4 | -4 | 10 |
| 2000s | -3 | -4 | -2 | 10 |
| 2010s | -2 | -2 | -2 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
More social development data for Singapore
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 43 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (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 43 (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 Singapore?
- Democracy index in Singapore was -2 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 Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was -2 in 2005.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was -4 in 1965.
- How does Singapore rank for democracy index?
- Singapore ranks 128th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Singapore 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 — 54 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).