What is direct democracy index in Switzerland?

Direct democracy index in Switzerland was 0.679 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Switzerland?

The highest recorded value was 0.679 in 1997.

What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Switzerland?

The lowest recorded value was 0.484 in 1900.

How does Switzerland rank for direct democracy index?

Switzerland ranks 1st out of 175 countries with data for 2025.

Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Switzerland?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Switzerland 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.

Direct Democracy Index in Switzerland

Name: Direct Democracy Index in Switzerland
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Switzerland: Direct Democracy Index was 0.679 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.679

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 175 countries

All-time high

0.679

in 1997

All-time low

0.484

in 1900

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Direct Democracy Index in Switzerland, 1900–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Switzerland recorded 0.679 for direct democracy index in 2025. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Switzerland peaked at 0.679 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.484, in 1900.

Switzerland ranks 1st of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.6135	0.484	0.668	10
1910s	0.6078	0.545	0.645	10
1920s	0.6707	0.67	0.671	10
1930s	0.6517	0.626	0.672	10
1940s	0.6418	0.623	0.674	10
1950s	0.6584	0.648	0.674	10
1960s	0.6438	0.624	0.649	10
1970s	0.6487	0.628	0.652	10
1980s	0.6708	0.65	0.676	10
1990s	0.6749	0.653	0.679	10
2000s	0.6738	0.653	0.679	10
2010s	0.6775	0.664	0.679	10
2020s	0.6747	0.653	0.679	6

Countries ranked near Switzerland

2 Uruguay 0.618 compare
3 Ecuador 0.551 compare
4 Taiwan 0.518 compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More social development data for Switzerland

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 208,287 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 6 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Key features of liberal democracy 0.843 (2025)
Varieties of democracy 0.882 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.967 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.917 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.882 (2025)
Liberal democracy 3 (2025)

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is direct democracy index in Switzerland?: Direct democracy index in Switzerland was 0.679 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Switzerland?: The highest recorded value was 0.679 in 1997.
What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Switzerland?: The lowest recorded value was 0.484 in 1900.
How does Switzerland rank for direct democracy index?: Switzerland ranks 1st out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Switzerland?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland 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

Indicator: Direct Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 175 places, 20,802 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Measures the extent of how easy it is for citizens to vote on specific issues themselves in popular initiatives, referendums, and plebiscites.