Democracy Index in USSR

USSR: Democracy Index was 0 in 1991. ▲ Rising

Latest (1991)
0
World rank
119th
of 168 countries
All-time high
0
in 1990
All-time low
-9
in 1933
Years of data
70
1922–1991

Democracy Index in USSR, 1922–1991

-10-8-6-4-20192219561991

Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 1991, democracy index in USSR stood at 0. That is the highest value across all 70 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 100.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy index in USSR peaked at 0 in 1990 and was at its lowest, -9, in 1933.

That places USSR 119th out of 168 countries with data for 1991, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 70 years of available data.

Democracy Index in USSR, year by year

Annual values for Democracy Index in USSR, 1922 to 1991.
Year Value Change
1922 -7
1923 -7 -0.0%
1924 -7 -0.0%
1925 -7 -0.0%
1926 -7 -0.0%
1927 -8 +14.3%
1928 -8 -0.0%
1929 -8 -0.0%
1930 -8 -0.0%
1931 -8 -0.0%
1932 -8 -0.0%
1933 -9 +12.5%
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 -9 -0.0%
1944 -9 -0.0%
1945 -9 -0.0%
1946 -9 -0.0%
1947 -9 -0.0%
1948 -9 -0.0%
1949 -9 -0.0%
1950 -9 -0.0%
1951 -9 -0.0%
1952 -9 -0.0%
1953 -7 -22.2%
1954 -7 -0.0%
1955 -7 -0.0%
1956 -7 -0.0%
1957 -7 -0.0%
1958 -7 -0.0%
1959 -7 -0.0%
1960 -7 -0.0%
1961 -7 -0.0%
1962 -7 -0.0%
1963 -7 -0.0%
1964 -7 -0.0%
1965 -7 -0.0%
1966 -7 -0.0%
1967 -7 -0.0%
1968 -7 -0.0%
1969 -7 -0.0%
1970 -7 -0.0%
1971 -7 -0.0%
1972 -7 -0.0%
1973 -7 -0.0%
1974 -7 -0.0%
1975 -7 -0.0%
1976 -7 -0.0%
1977 -7 -0.0%
1978 -7 -0.0%
1979 -7 -0.0%
1980 -7 -0.0%
1981 -7 -0.0%
1982 -7 -0.0%
1983 -7 -0.0%
1984 -7 -0.0%
1985 -7 -0.0%
1986 -7 -0.0%
1987 -7 -0.0%
1988 -6 -14.3%
1989 -4 -33.3%
1990 0 -100.0%
1991 0

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s -7.38 -8 -7 8
1930s -8.7 -9 -8 10
1940s -9 -9 -9 10
1950s -7.6 -9 -7 10
1960s -7 -7 -7 10
1970s -7 -7 -7 10
1980s -6.6 -7 -4 10
1990s 0 0 0 2

Countries ranked near USSR

  1. 116 Algeria 2 compare
  2. 116 Fiji 2 compare
  3. 118 Ethiopia 1
  4. 119 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 compare
  5. 119 Libya 0 compare
  6. 119 South Sudan 0
  7. 119 Yemen 0

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More social development data for USSR

All data for USSR →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy index in USSR?
Democracy index in USSR was 0 in 1991, 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 USSR?
The highest recorded value was 0 in 1990.
What is the lowest democracy index recorded in USSR?
The lowest recorded value was -9 in 1933.
How does USSR rank for democracy index?
USSR ranks 119th out of 168 countries with data for 1991.
Is democracy index rising or falling in USSR?
Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this USSR 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 — 70 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Democracy Index in USSR. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/democracy-index-polity/ussr/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/democracy-index-polity/ussr/">Democracy Index in USSR</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Democracy Index
Source
Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed

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).