Direct Democracy Index in Colombia
Colombia: Direct Democracy Index was 0.154 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Direct Democracy Index in Colombia, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, direct democracy index in Colombia stood at 0.154.
The figure is down 11.0% on the previous year and up 170.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Colombia peaked at 0.234 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Colombia 38th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Direct Democracy Index in Colombia, 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 | 0.1 | — |
| 1958 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 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 | 0.1 | — |
| 1991 | 0.234 | +134.0% |
| 1992 | 0.234 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.234 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.234 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.222 | -5.1% |
| 1996 | 0.211 | -5.0% |
| 1997 | 0.199 | -5.7% |
| 1998 | 0.187 | -6.0% |
| 1999 | 0.176 | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 0.164 | -6.8% |
| 2001 | 0.153 | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 0.141 | -7.8% |
| 2003 | 0.215 | +52.5% |
| 2004 | 0.215 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.215 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.215 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.215 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.195 | -9.3% |
| 2009 | 0.176 | -9.7% |
| 2010 | 0.156 | -11.4% |
| 2011 | 0.137 | -12.2% |
| 2012 | 0.118 | -13.9% |
| 2013 | 0.098 | -16.9% |
| 2014 | 0.079 | -19.4% |
| 2015 | 0.057 | -27.8% |
| 2016 | 0.216 | +278.9% |
| 2017 | 0.212 | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 0.212 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.212 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.212 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.212 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.212 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.192 | -9.4% |
| 2024 | 0.173 | -9.9% |
| 2025 | 0.154 | -11.0% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 0.154 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.06, 2.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 0.154 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.072, 2.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Direct Democracy Index in Colombia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +278.9% | 0.057 | 0.216 |
| 1991 | +134.0% | 0.1 | 0.234 |
| 1958 | -100.0% | 0.1 | 0 |
| 2003 | +52.5% | 0.141 | 0.215 |
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 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.1 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2031 | 0.1 | 0.234 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1904 | 0.141 | 0.215 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1497 | 0.057 | 0.216 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1925 | 0.154 | 0.212 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More social development data for Colombia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,464 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 79,669 (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 0.0015 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 79,669 (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 direct democracy index in Colombia?
- Direct democracy index in Colombia was 0.154 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.234 in 1991.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Colombia rank for direct democracy index?
- Colombia ranks 38th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 170.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Colombia 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.