Direct Democracy Index in Bhutan
Bhutan: Direct Democracy Index was 0.02 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.02
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
104th
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.02
in 2008
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Direct Democracy Index in Bhutan, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 0.02 for direct democracy index in 2025. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Bhutan peaked at 0.02 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Bhutan 104th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Direct Democracy Index in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 0 | — |
| 1947 | 0 | — |
| 1948 | 0 | — |
| 1949 | 0 | — |
| 1950 | 0 | — |
| 1951 | 0 | — |
| 1952 | 0 | — |
| 1953 | 0 | — |
| 1954 | 0 | — |
| 1955 | 0 | — |
| 1956 | 0 | — |
| 1957 | 0 | — |
| 1958 | 0 | — |
| 1959 | 0 | — |
| 1960 | 0 | — |
| 1961 | 0 | — |
| 1962 | 0 | — |
| 1963 | 0 | — |
| 1964 | 0 | — |
| 1965 | 0 | — |
| 1966 | 0 | — |
| 1967 | 0 | — |
| 1968 | 0 | — |
| 1969 | 0 | — |
| 1970 | 0 | — |
| 1971 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 0 | — |
| 1993 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | 0 | — |
| 1995 | 0 | — |
| 1996 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0.02 | — |
| 2009 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 0.02 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0275, 73% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 0.02 is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.02, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.004 | 0 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 101 Gambia 0.026 compare
- 102 Ghana 0.024 compare
- 103 Myanmar 0.021 compare
- 104 Afghanistan 0.02 compare
- 104 Bahrain 0.02 compare
- 104 Brazil 0.02 compare
- 104 Cameroon 0.02 compare
- 104 Guinea-Bissau 0.02 compare
- 104 Japan 0.02 compare
- 104 Nepal 0.02 compare
- 104 Pakistan 0.02 compare
- 104 Sao Tome and Principe 0.02 compare
- 104 South Africa 0.02 compare
- 104 South Sudan 0.02 compare
- 104 Suriname 0.02 compare
- 104 Vietnam 0.02 compare
More social development data for Bhutan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 7,257 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0091 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 7,257 (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -2.37 % change on previous year (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 direct democracy index in Bhutan?
- Direct democracy index in Bhutan was 0.02 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.02 in 2008.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Bhutan rank for direct democracy index?
- Bhutan ranks 104th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Direct Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measures the extent of how easy it is for citizens to vote on specific issues themselves in popular initiatives, referendums, and plebiscites.