Direct Democracy Index in Kenya
Kenya: Direct Democracy Index was 0.069 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Direct Democracy Index in Kenya, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 0.069 for direct democracy index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.4% on the previous year and down 52.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Kenya peaked at 0.153 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
Kenya ranks 72nd 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 Kenya, 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 | 0.1 | — |
| 2006 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 2007 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0.153 | — |
| 2011 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.153 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.146 | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 0.138 | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 0.131 | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 0.123 | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 0.115 | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 0.108 | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 0.1 | -7.4% |
| 2022 | 0.092 | -8.0% |
| 2023 | 0.085 | -7.6% |
| 2024 | 0.077 | -9.4% |
| 2025 | 0.069 | -10.4% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 0.069 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0275, 2.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 0.069 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.033, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Direct Democracy Index in Kenya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | -100.0% | 0.1 | 0 |
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 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1418 | 0.115 | 0.153 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0885 | 0.069 | 0.108 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 69 Turkmenistan 0.075 compare
- 70 Paraguay 0.072 compare
- 71 Philippines 0.07 compare
- 73 Zambia 0.065 compare
- 74 Cape Verde 0.063 compare
- 75 Uganda 0.062 compare
- 75 Ukraine 0.062 compare
More social development data for Kenya
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 617,125 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0107 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 Kenya?
- Direct democracy index in Kenya was 0.069 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 0.153 in 2010.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Kenya rank for direct democracy index?
- Kenya ranks 72nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya 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.