Statizoid

Direct Democracy Index in Estonia

Estonia: Direct Democracy Index was 0.038 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.038
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
85th
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.291
in 2003
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Direct Democracy Index in Estonia, 1900–2025

00.10.20.3190019622025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Estonia recorded 0.038 for direct democracy index in 2025.

The figure is down 65.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Estonia peaked at 0.291 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.

Estonia ranks 85th of 175 countries on this measure, 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 Estonia, 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 0.059 —
1921 0.059 +0.0%
1922 0.059 +0.0%
1923 0.159 +169.5%
1924 0.059 -62.9%
1925 0.059 +0.0%
1926 0.055 -6.8%
1927 0.055 +0.0%
1928 0.055 +0.0%
1929 0.055 +0.0%
1930 0.055 +0.0%
1931 0.055 +0.0%
1932 0.13 +136.4%
1933 0.139 +6.9%
1934 0.139 +0.0%
1935 0.139 +0.0%
1936 0.239 +71.9%
1937 0.139 -41.8%
1938 0.02 -85.6%
1939 0.02 +0.0%
1940 0.02 +0.0%
1941 0.02 +0.0%
1942 0.02 +0.0%
1943 0.02 +0.0%
1944 0.02 +0.0%
1945 0.02 +0.0%
1946 0.02 +0.0%
1947 0.02 +0.0%
1948 0.02 +0.0%
1949 0.02 +0.0%
1950 0.02 +0.0%
1951 0.02 +0.0%
1952 0.02 +0.0%
1953 0.02 +0.0%
1954 0.02 +0.0%
1955 0.02 +0.0%
1956 0.02 +0.0%
1957 0.02 +0.0%
1958 0.02 +0.0%
1959 0.02 +0.0%
1960 0.02 +0.0%
1961 0.02 +0.0%
1962 0.02 +0.0%
1963 0.02 +0.0%
1964 0.02 +0.0%
1965 0.02 +0.0%
1966 0.02 +0.0%
1967 0.02 +0.0%
1968 0.02 +0.0%
1969 0.02 +0.0%
1970 0.02 +0.0%
1971 0.02 +0.0%
1972 0.02 +0.0%
1973 0.02 +0.0%
1974 0.02 +0.0%
1975 0.02 +0.0%
1976 0.02 +0.0%
1977 0.033 +65.0%
1978 0.033 +0.0%
1979 0.033 +0.0%
1980 0.033 +0.0%
1981 0.033 +0.0%
1982 0.033 +0.0%
1983 0.033 +0.0%
1984 0.033 +0.0%
1985 0.033 +0.0%
1986 0.033 +0.0%
1987 0.033 +0.0%
1988 0.033 +0.0%
1989 0.033 +0.0%
1990 0 -100.0%
1991 0.2 —
1992 0.218 +9.0%
1993 0.218 +0.0%
1994 0.218 +0.0%
1995 0.218 +0.0%
1996 0.218 +0.0%
1997 0.206 -5.5%
1998 0.194 -5.8%
1999 0.182 -6.2%
2000 0.17 -6.6%
2001 0.158 -7.1%
2002 0.146 -7.6%
2003 0.291 +99.3%
2004 0.279 -4.1%
2005 0.267 -4.3%
2006 0.255 -4.5%
2007 0.243 -4.7%
2008 0.22 -9.5%
2009 0.198 -10.0%
2010 0.176 -11.1%
2011 0.153 -13.1%
2012 0.142 -7.2%
2013 0.132 -7.0%
2014 0.122 -7.6%
2015 0.111 -9.0%
2016 0.1 -9.9%
2017 0.09 -10.0%
2018 0.08 -11.1%
2019 0.069 -13.7%
2020 0.059 -14.5%
2021 0.048 -18.6%
2022 0.038 -20.8%
2023 0.038 +0.0%
2024 0.038 +0.0%
2025 0.038 +0.0%

Estonia compared with similar countries

  • Estonia's 0.038 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.033, 1.2× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Estonia's 0.038 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1205, 32% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0.0674 0.055 0.159 10
1930s 0.1075 0.02 0.239 10
1940s 0.02 0.02 0.02 10
1950s 0.02 0.02 0.02 10
1960s 0.02 0.02 0.02 10
1970s 0.0239 0.02 0.033 10
1980s 0.033 0.033 0.033 10
1990s 0.1872 0 0.218 10
2000s 0.2227 0.146 0.291 10
2010s 0.1175 0.069 0.176 10
2020s 0.0432 0.038 0.059 6

Countries ranked near Estonia

  1. 82 Maldives 0.045 compare
  2. 83 Togo 0.042 compare
  3. 84 Djibouti 0.04 compare
  4. 86 Austria 0.033 compare
  5. 86 Benin 0.033 compare
  6. 86 Burkina Faso 0.033 compare
  7. 86 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.033 compare
  8. 86 France 0.033 compare
  9. 86 Somalia 0.033 compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More social development data for Estonia

All data for Estonia →

Frequently asked questions

What is direct democracy index in Estonia?
Direct democracy index in Estonia was 0.038 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Estonia?
The highest recorded value was 0.291 in 2003.
What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Estonia?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
How does Estonia rank for direct democracy index?
Estonia ranks 85th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Estonia?
Over the last ten years it is down 65.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Estonia 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.

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Direct Democracy Index in Estonia. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/direct-democracy-index/estonia/

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About this data

Indicator
Direct Democracy Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
175 places, 20,802 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed

Measures the extent of how easy it is for citizens to vote on specific issues themselves in popular initiatives, referendums, and plebiscites.