Direct Democracy Index in Portugal
Portugal: Direct Democracy Index was 0.028 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.028
Change on year
down 26.3%
World rank
98th
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.175
in 2007
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Direct Democracy Index in Portugal, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for direct democracy index in Portugal is 0.028, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.3% on the previous year and down 78.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Portugal peaked at 0.175 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Portugal 98th 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 Portugal, 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 | 0.1 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 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 | 0.018 | — |
| 1977 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.018 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.158 | +777.8% |
| 1999 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.14 | -11.4% |
| 2004 | 0.122 | -12.9% |
| 2005 | 0.105 | -13.9% |
| 2006 | 0.088 | -16.2% |
| 2007 | 0.175 | +98.9% |
| 2008 | 0.175 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.175 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.175 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.175 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.164 | -6.3% |
| 2013 | 0.154 | -6.1% |
| 2014 | 0.144 | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 0.133 | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 0.122 | -8.3% |
| 2017 | 0.112 | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 0.102 | -8.9% |
| 2019 | 0.091 | -10.8% |
| 2020 | 0.08 | -12.1% |
| 2021 | 0.07 | -12.5% |
| 2022 | 0.06 | -14.3% |
| 2023 | 0.049 | -18.3% |
| 2024 | 0.038 | -22.4% |
| 2025 | 0.028 | -26.3% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 0.028 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.033, 85% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 0.028 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1205, 23% of the median. (48 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 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.1 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0072 | 0 | 0.018 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.018 | 0.018 | 0.018 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.046 | 0.018 | 0.158 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1454 | 0.088 | 0.175 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1372 | 0.091 | 0.175 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0542 | 0.028 | 0.08 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More social development data for Portugal
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 70,349 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 109 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 109 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0065 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 Portugal?
- Direct democracy index in Portugal was 0.028 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 0.175 in 2007.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Portugal rank for direct democracy index?
- Portugal ranks 98th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 78.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Portugal 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.