Direct Democracy Index in Russia
Russia: Direct Democracy Index was 0.229 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.229
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
17th
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.229
in 2020
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Direct Democracy Index in Russia, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, direct democracy index in Russia stood at 0.229. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.
That represents a change of up 218.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Russia peaked at 0.229 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
Russia ranks 17th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Direct Democracy Index in Russia, 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 | 0.02 | — |
| 1937 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 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 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.188 | +469.7% |
| 1992 | 0.188 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.212 | +12.8% |
| 1994 | 0.212 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.206 | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 0.206 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.206 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.195 | -5.3% |
| 1999 | 0.185 | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 0.174 | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 0.164 | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 0.153 | -6.7% |
| 2003 | 0.143 | -6.5% |
| 2004 | 0.132 | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 0.122 | -7.6% |
| 2006 | 0.111 | -9.0% |
| 2007 | 0.101 | -9.0% |
| 2008 | 0.114 | +12.9% |
| 2009 | 0.103 | -9.6% |
| 2010 | 0.093 | -9.7% |
| 2011 | 0.082 | -11.8% |
| 2012 | 0.072 | -12.2% |
| 2013 | 0.072 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.072 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.072 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.072 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.072 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.072 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.072 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.229 | +218.1% |
| 2021 | 0.229 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.229 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.229 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.229 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.229 | +0.0% |
Russia compared with similar countries
- Russia's 0.229 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.033, 6.9× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Russia's 0.229 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1205, 1.9× 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 | 0.008 | 0 | 0.02 | 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 | 0.1831 | 0.033 | 0.212 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1317 | 0.101 | 0.174 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0751 | 0.072 | 0.093 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.229 | 0.229 | 0.229 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Russia
More social development data for Russia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 11,811 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 99,360 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0007 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 99,360 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is direct democracy index in Russia?
- Direct democracy index in Russia was 0.229 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Russia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.229 in 2020.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Russia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Russia rank for direct democracy index?
- Russia ranks 17th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Russia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 218.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Russia 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.