Direct Democracy Index in Uruguay
Uruguay: Direct Democracy Index was 0.618 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.618
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
2nd
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.686
in 1996
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Direct Democracy Index in Uruguay, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for direct democracy index in Uruguay is 0.618, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Uruguay peaked at 0.686 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
Uruguay ranks 2nd 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 Uruguay, 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 | 0.1 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 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 | 0.202 | — |
| 1935 | 0.202 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.202 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.202 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.446 | +120.8% |
| 1939 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.409 | -8.3% |
| 1944 | 0.394 | -3.7% |
| 1945 | 0.379 | -3.8% |
| 1946 | 0.399 | +5.3% |
| 1947 | 0.388 | -2.8% |
| 1948 | 0.378 | -2.6% |
| 1949 | 0.367 | -2.9% |
| 1950 | 0.382 | +4.1% |
| 1951 | 0.424 | +11.0% |
| 1952 | 0.424 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.424 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.424 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.409 | -3.5% |
| 1956 | 0.383 | -6.4% |
| 1957 | 0.358 | -6.5% |
| 1958 | 0.381 | +6.4% |
| 1959 | 0.381 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.381 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.381 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.381 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.357 | -6.3% |
| 1964 | 0.332 | -7.0% |
| 1965 | 0.307 | -7.5% |
| 1966 | 0.399 | +30.0% |
| 1967 | 0.425 | +6.5% |
| 1968 | 0.425 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.425 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.425 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.408 | -4.0% |
| 1972 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.158 | -61.3% |
| 1974 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.14 | -11.4% |
| 1977 | 0.123 | -12.1% |
| 1978 | 0.105 | -14.6% |
| 1979 | 0.088 | -16.2% |
| 1980 | 0.158 | +79.5% |
| 1981 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.167 | +5.7% |
| 1986 | 0.174 | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 0.156 | -10.3% |
| 1988 | 0.139 | -10.9% |
| 1989 | 0.555 | +299.3% |
| 1990 | 0.537 | -3.2% |
| 1991 | 0.52 | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 0.528 | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.669 | +26.7% |
| 1995 | 0.669 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.686 | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 0.67 | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 0.655 | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 0.607 | -7.3% |
| 2000 | 0.576 | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 0.545 | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 0.609 | +11.7% |
| 2003 | 0.594 | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 0.651 | +9.6% |
| 2005 | 0.634 | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 0.616 | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 0.599 | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 0.565 | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 0.612 | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 0.597 | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 0.581 | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 0.565 | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 0.618 | +9.4% |
| 2014 | 0.6 | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 0.583 | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 0.565 | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 0.547 | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 0.504 | -7.9% |
| 2019 | 0.512 | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 0.495 | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 0.477 | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 0.477 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.477 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.618 | +29.6% |
| 2025 | 0.618 | +0.0% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 0.618 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.033, 18.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 0.618 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.072, 8.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Direct Democracy Index in Uruguay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +299.3% | 0.139 | 0.555 |
| 1938 | +120.8% | 0.202 | 0.446 |
| 1918 | -100.0% | 0.1 | 0 |
| 1980 | +79.5% | 0.088 | 0.158 |
| 1973 | -61.3% | 0.408 | 0.158 |
| 1966 | +30.0% | 0.307 | 0.399 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.01 | 0 | 0.1 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.17 | 0 | 0.446 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.4052 | 0.367 | 0.446 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.399 | 0.358 | 0.424 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.3813 | 0.307 | 0.425 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2171 | 0.088 | 0.425 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1981 | 0.139 | 0.555 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6069 | 0.52 | 0.686 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6001 | 0.545 | 0.651 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5672 | 0.504 | 0.618 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.527 | 0.477 | 0.618 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
More social development data for Uruguay
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,195 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 126 (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 126 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 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 Uruguay?
- Direct democracy index in Uruguay was 0.618 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 0.686 in 1996.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Uruguay rank for direct democracy index?
- Uruguay ranks 2nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uruguay 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.