Direct Democracy Index in Maldives
Maldives: Direct Democracy Index was 0.045 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Direct Democracy Index in Maldives, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, direct democracy index in Maldives stood at 0.045.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.1% on the previous year and down 72.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Maldives peaked at 0.213 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Maldives 82nd 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 Maldives, 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 | 0.1 | — |
| 1953 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1955 | 0 | — |
| 1956 | 0 | — |
| 1957 | 0 | — |
| 1958 | 0 | — |
| 1959 | 0.1 | — |
| 1960 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1961 | 0 | — |
| 1962 | 0 | — |
| 1963 | 0 | — |
| 1964 | 0 | — |
| 1965 | 0 | — |
| 1966 | 0 | — |
| 1967 | 0 | — |
| 1968 | 0.1 | — |
| 1969 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 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 | 0.02 | — |
| 1999 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.2 | +900.0% |
| 2008 | 0.213 | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.201 | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 0.189 | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 0.177 | -6.3% |
| 2015 | 0.165 | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 0.153 | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 0.141 | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 0.129 | -8.5% |
| 2019 | 0.117 | -9.3% |
| 2020 | 0.105 | -10.3% |
| 2021 | 0.093 | -11.4% |
| 2022 | 0.081 | -12.9% |
| 2023 | 0.069 | -14.8% |
| 2024 | 0.057 | -17.4% |
| 2025 | 0.045 | -21.1% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 0.045 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.06, 75% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 0.045 is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.02, 2.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Direct Democracy Index in Maldives 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +900.0% | 0.02 | 0.2 |
| 1954 | -100.0% | 0.1 | 0 |
| 1960 | -100.0% | 0.1 | 0 |
| 1969 | -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 | 0.03 | 0 | 0.1 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.01 | 0 | 0.1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.004 | 0 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0766 | 0.02 | 0.213 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1698 | 0.117 | 0.213 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.075 | 0.045 | 0.105 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More social development data for Maldives
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 62 (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 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 62 (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 -18.42 % 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 Maldives?
- Direct democracy index in Maldives was 0.045 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 0.213 in 2008.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Maldives rank for direct democracy index?
- Maldives ranks 82nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 72.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Maldives 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.