Direct Democracy Index in Taiwan
Taiwan: Direct Democracy Index was 0.518 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Direct Democracy Index in Taiwan, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Taiwan recorded 0.518 for direct democracy index in 2025. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.
The figure is up 40.0% on the previous year and up 112.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Taiwan peaked at 0.518 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Taiwan 4th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Direct Democracy Index in Taiwan, 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 | — |
| 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 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 0 | — |
| 1993 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | 0 | — |
| 1995 | 0 | — |
| 1996 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 0.208 | — |
| 2005 | 0.208 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.208 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.208 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.383 | +84.1% |
| 2009 | 0.373 | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 0.362 | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 0.352 | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 0.341 | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 0.309 | -9.4% |
| 2014 | 0.276 | -10.7% |
| 2015 | 0.244 | -11.6% |
| 2016 | 0.212 | -13.1% |
| 2017 | 0.179 | -15.6% |
| 2018 | 0.371 | +107.3% |
| 2019 | 0.346 | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 0.335 | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 0.319 | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 0.405 | +27.0% |
| 2023 | 0.379 | -6.4% |
| 2024 | 0.37 | -2.4% |
| 2025 | 0.518 | +40.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Direct Democracy Index in Taiwan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +107.3% | 0.179 | 0.371 |
| 2008 | +84.1% | 0.208 | 0.383 |
| 2025 | +40.0% | 0.37 | 0.518 |
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 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1588 | 0 | 0.383 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2992 | 0.179 | 0.371 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3877 | 0.319 | 0.518 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Taiwan
More social development data for Taiwan
- 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)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Human Rights Index vs. Electoral Democracy Index 0.93 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.704 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.801 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.892 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.838 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is direct democracy index in Taiwan?
- Direct democracy index in Taiwan was 0.518 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Taiwan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.518 in 2025.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Taiwan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Taiwan rank for direct democracy index?
- Taiwan ranks 4th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Taiwan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 112.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Taiwan 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.