Direct Democracy Index in Malta
Malta: Direct Democracy Index was 0.19 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.19
Change on year
down 16.7%
World rank
28th
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.451
in 2015
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Direct Democracy Index in Malta, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malta recorded 0.19 for direct democracy index in 2025.
The figure is down 16.7% on the previous year and down 57.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Malta peaked at 0.451 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Malta 28th 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 Malta, 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 | 0.1 | — |
| 1957 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1958 | 0 | — |
| 1959 | 0 | — |
| 1960 | 0 | — |
| 1961 | 0 | — |
| 1962 | 0 | — |
| 1963 | 0 | — |
| 1964 | 0.1 | — |
| 1965 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1966 | 0 | — |
| 1967 | 0 | — |
| 1968 | 0 | — |
| 1969 | 0 | — |
| 1970 | 0 | — |
| 1971 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0.088 | — |
| 1974 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.223 | +153.4% |
| 2003 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.214 | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 0.205 | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 0.196 | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 0.187 | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 0.223 | +19.3% |
| 2012 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.451 | +102.2% |
| 2016 | 0.442 | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 0.433 | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 0.424 | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 0.415 | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 0.378 | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 0.34 | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 0.303 | -10.9% |
| 2023 | 0.265 | -12.5% |
| 2024 | 0.228 | -14.0% |
| 2025 | 0.19 | -16.7% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 0.19 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.033, 5.8× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Malta's 0.19 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.02, 9.5× the median. (23 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 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.1 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.01 | 0 | 0.1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0616 | 0 | 0.088 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.088 | 0.088 | 0.088 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.088 | 0.088 | 0.088 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1906 | 0.088 | 0.223 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3244 | 0.187 | 0.451 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.284 | 0.19 | 0.378 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More social development data for Malta
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,306 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 11 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 11 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0143 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 Malta?
- Direct democracy index in Malta was 0.19 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 0.451 in 2015.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Malta rank for direct democracy index?
- Malta ranks 28th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malta 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.