Direct Democracy Index in Spain
Spain: Direct Democracy Index was 0.028 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.028
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
98th
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.266
in 1986
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Direct Democracy Index in Spain, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Spain recorded 0.028 for direct democracy index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 74.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Spain peaked at 0.266 in 1986 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
Spain ranks 98th 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 Spain, 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 | 0.028 | — |
| 1932 | 0.028 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.028 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.028 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.028 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.028 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.028 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.028 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0.02 | — |
| 1946 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.2 | +900.0% |
| 1948 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.188 | -6.0% |
| 1953 | 0.176 | -6.4% |
| 1954 | 0.164 | -6.8% |
| 1955 | 0.152 | -7.3% |
| 1956 | 0.14 | -7.9% |
| 1957 | 0.128 | -8.6% |
| 1958 | 0.116 | -9.4% |
| 1959 | 0.104 | -10.3% |
| 1960 | 0.092 | -11.5% |
| 1961 | 0.08 | -13.0% |
| 1962 | 0.068 | -15.0% |
| 1963 | 0.056 | -17.6% |
| 1964 | 0.044 | -21.4% |
| 1965 | 0.032 | -27.3% |
| 1966 | 0.02 | -37.5% |
| 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 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.146 | +630.0% |
| 1979 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.138 | -5.5% |
| 1986 | 0.266 | +92.8% |
| 1987 | 0.258 | -3.0% |
| 1988 | 0.25 | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 0.242 | -3.2% |
| 1990 | 0.234 | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 0.217 | -7.3% |
| 1992 | 0.2 | -7.8% |
| 1993 | 0.183 | -8.5% |
| 1994 | 0.166 | -9.3% |
| 1995 | 0.15 | -9.6% |
| 1996 | 0.133 | -11.3% |
| 1997 | 0.116 | -12.8% |
| 1998 | 0.099 | -14.7% |
| 1999 | 0.082 | -17.2% |
| 2000 | 0.073 | -11.0% |
| 2001 | 0.064 | -12.3% |
| 2002 | 0.055 | -14.1% |
| 2003 | 0.046 | -16.4% |
| 2004 | 0.037 | -19.6% |
| 2005 | 0.163 | +340.5% |
| 2006 | 0.163 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.163 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.163 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.163 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.154 | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 0.145 | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 0.136 | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 0.127 | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 0.118 | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 0.109 | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 0.1 | -8.3% |
| 2017 | 0.091 | -9.0% |
| 2018 | 0.082 | -9.9% |
| 2019 | 0.073 | -11.0% |
| 2020 | 0.064 | -12.3% |
| 2021 | 0.055 | -14.1% |
| 2022 | 0.046 | -16.4% |
| 2023 | 0.037 | -19.6% |
| 2024 | 0.028 | -24.3% |
| 2025 | 0.028 | +0.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 0.028 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.033, 85% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Spain's 0.028 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1205, 23% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Direct Democracy Index in Spain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | +900.0% | 0.02 | 0.2 |
| 1978 | +630.0% | 0.02 | 0.146 |
| 2005 | +340.5% | 0.037 | 0.163 |
| 1986 | +92.8% | 0.138 | 0.266 |
| 1939 | -100.0% | 0.028 | 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 | 0.0224 | 0 | 0.028 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.064 | 0 | 0.2 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1568 | 0.104 | 0.2 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0452 | 0.02 | 0.092 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0452 | 0.02 | 0.146 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1884 | 0.138 | 0.266 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.158 | 0.082 | 0.234 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.109 | 0.037 | 0.163 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1135 | 0.073 | 0.154 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.043 | 0.028 | 0.064 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More social development data for Spain
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 511,079 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 186 (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 186 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0104 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 Spain?
- Direct democracy index in Spain 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 0.266 in 1986.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Spain rank for direct democracy index?
- Spain ranks 98th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 74.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Spain 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.