Direct Democracy Index in Thailand
Thailand: Direct Democracy Index was 0.161 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Direct Democracy Index in Thailand, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, direct democracy index in Thailand stood at 0.161.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.0% on the previous year and down 38.1% over five years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Thailand peaked at 0.284 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Thailand 36th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Direct Democracy Index in Thailand, 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 | 0.015 | — |
| 1998 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.151 | +906.7% |
| 2008 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.143 | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 0.136 | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 2015 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0.1 | — |
| 2017 | 0.284 | +184.0% |
| 2018 | 0.276 | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 0.268 | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 0.26 | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 0.24 | -7.7% |
| 2022 | 0.221 | -7.9% |
| 2023 | 0.201 | -9.0% |
| 2024 | 0.181 | -10.0% |
| 2025 | 0.161 | -11.0% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 0.161 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.06, 2.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 0.161 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0155, 10.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Direct Democracy Index in Thailand 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +906.7% | 0.015 | 0.151 |
| 2017 | +184.0% | 0.1 | 0.284 |
| 2014 | -100.0% | 0.136 | 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 | 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 | 0.0045 | 0 | 0.015 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0558 | 0.015 | 0.151 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1509 | 0 | 0.284 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2107 | 0.161 | 0.26 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More social development data for Thailand
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 84,017 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 327 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (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 327 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 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 Thailand?
- Direct democracy index in Thailand was 0.161 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.284 in 2017.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Thailand rank for direct democracy index?
- Thailand ranks 36th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Where does this Thailand 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.