Statizoid

Electoral democracy in Japan

Japan: Electoral democracy was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
1
in 1952
All-time low
0
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Electoral democracy in Japan, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Japan recorded 1 for electoral democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, electoral democracy in Japan peaked at 1 in 1952 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.

That places Japan 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0 0 0 1
1790s 0 0 0 10
1800s 0 0 0 10
1810s 0 0 0 10
1820s 0 0 0 10
1830s 0 0 0 10
1840s 0 0 0 10
1850s 0 0 0 10
1860s 0 0 0 10
1870s 0 0 0 10
1880s 0 0 0 10
1890s 0 0 0 10
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0 0 0 10
1950s 0.8 0 1 10
1960s 1 1 1 10
1970s 1 1 1 10
1980s 1 1 1 10
1990s 1 1 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 1 Albania 1 compare
  2. 1 Andorra 1 compare
  3. 1 Antigua and Barbuda 1 compare
  4. 1 Argentina 1 compare
  5. 1 Armenia 1 compare
  6. 1 Australia 1 compare
  7. 1 Austria 1 compare
  8. 1 Bahamas 1 compare
  9. 1 Barbados 1 compare
  10. 1 Belgium 1 compare
  11. 1 Belize 1 compare
  12. 1 Bhutan 1 compare
  13. 1 Bolivia 1 compare
  14. 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
  15. 1 Botswana 1 compare
  16. 1 Brazil 1 compare
  17. 1 Bulgaria 1 compare
  18. 1 Canada 1 compare
  19. 1 Cape Verde 1 compare
  20. 1 Chile 1 compare
  21. 1 Colombia 1 compare
  22. 1 Costa Rica 1 compare
  23. 1 Croatia 1 compare
  24. 1 Cyprus 1 compare
  25. 1 Czechia 1 compare
  26. 1 Denmark 1 compare
  27. 1 Dominica 1 compare
  28. 1 Dominican Republic 1 compare
  29. 1 East Timor 1 compare
  30. 1 Ecuador 1 compare
  31. 1 Estonia 1 compare
  32. 1 Fiji 1 compare
  33. 1 Finland 1 compare
  34. 1 France 1 compare
  35. 1 Gambia 1 compare
  36. 1 Germany 1 compare
  37. 1 Ghana 1 compare
  38. 1 Greece 1 compare
  39. 1 Grenada 1 compare
  40. 1 Guatemala 1 compare
  41. 1 Guyana 1 compare
  42. 1 Honduras 1 compare
  43. 1 Hungary 1 compare
  44. 1 Iceland 1 compare
  45. 1 India 1 compare
  46. 1 Indonesia 1 compare
  47. 1 Iraq 1 compare
  48. 1 Israel 1 compare
  49. 1 Italy 1 compare
  50. 1 Jamaica 1 compare
  51. 1 Kenya 1 compare
  52. 1 Kiribati 1 compare
  53. 1 Latvia 1 compare
  54. 1 Lebanon 1 compare
  55. 1 Lesotho 1 compare
  56. 1 Liberia 1 compare
  57. 1 Lithuania 1 compare
  58. 1 Malawi 1 compare
  59. 1 Malaysia 1 compare
  60. 1 Maldives 1 compare
  61. 1 Marshall Islands 1 compare
  62. 1 Mauritius 1 compare
  63. 1 Mexico 1 compare
  64. 1 Micronesia (country) 1 compare
  65. 1 Moldova 1 compare
  66. 1 Mongolia 1 compare
  67. 1 Montenegro 1 compare
  68. 1 Namibia 1 compare
  69. 1 Nauru 1 compare
  70. 1 Nepal 1 compare
  71. 1 Netherlands 1 compare
  72. 1 New Zealand 1 compare
  73. 1 North Macedonia 1 compare
  74. 1 Norway 1 compare
  75. 1 Palau 1 compare
  76. 1 Panama 1 compare
  77. 1 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
  78. 1 Paraguay 1 compare
  79. 1 Peru 1 compare
  80. 1 Philippines 1 compare
  81. 1 Poland 1 compare
  82. 1 Portugal 1 compare
  83. 1 Romania 1 compare
  84. 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 compare
  85. 1 Saint Lucia 1 compare
  86. 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 compare
  87. 1 Samoa 1 compare
  88. 1 San Marino 1 compare
  89. 1 Sao Tome and Principe 1 compare
  90. 1 Senegal 1 compare
  91. 1 Seychelles 1 compare
  92. 1 Slovakia 1 compare
  93. 1 Slovenia 1 compare
  94. 1 Solomon Islands 1 compare
  95. 1 South Africa 1 compare
  96. 1 South Korea 1 compare
  97. 1 Spain 1 compare
  98. 1 Sri Lanka 1 compare
  99. 1 Suriname 1 compare
  100. 1 Sweden 1 compare
  101. 1 Switzerland 1 compare
  102. 1 Taiwan 1 compare
  103. 1 Tonga 1 compare
  104. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 compare
  105. 1 Tuvalu 1 compare
  106. 1 Ukraine 1 compare
  107. 1 United Kingdom 1 compare
  108. 1 United States 1 compare
  109. 1 Uruguay 1 compare
  110. 1 Vanuatu 1 compare
  111. 1 Zambia 1 compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More social development data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is electoral democracy in Japan?
Electoral democracy in Japan was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest electoral democracy recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1952.
What is the lowest electoral democracy recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
How does Japan rank for electoral democracy?
Japan ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is electoral democracy rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Electoral democracy
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies the political regime of a country using the reduced Lexical Index of Electoral Democracy. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies, one-party autocracies, multi-party autocracies without elected executive, multi-party autocracies, exclusive democracies, male democracies, and electoral democracies (including full democracies or polyarchies).