Distribution of Democracy Index in China
China: Distribution of Democracy Index was 3 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Latest (2018)
3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
150th
of 168 countries
All-time high
12
in 1912
All-time low
1
in 1966
Years of data
208
1800–2018
Distribution of Democracy Index in China, 1800–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of democracy index in China is 3, measured in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in China peaked at 12 in 1912 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1966.
That places China 150th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 208 years of available data.
Distribution of Democracy Index in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 4 | — |
| 1801 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1802 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1803 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1804 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1805 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1806 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1807 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1808 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1809 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1810 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1811 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1812 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1813 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1814 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1815 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1816 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1817 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1818 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1819 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1820 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1821 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1822 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1823 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1824 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1825 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1826 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1827 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1828 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1829 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1830 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1831 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1832 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1833 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1834 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1835 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1836 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1837 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1838 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1839 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1841 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1842 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1843 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1844 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1845 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1846 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1847 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1848 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1849 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1851 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1852 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1853 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1854 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1857 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1858 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1859 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1862 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1866 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1867 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1868 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1869 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1870 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1871 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1872 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1873 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1874 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1876 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1877 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1878 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1881 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1883 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1884 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1886 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1887 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1888 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1891 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1892 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1897 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 8 | +100.0% |
| 1912 | 12 | +50.0% |
| 1913 | 8 | -33.3% |
| 1914 | 5 | -37.5% |
| 1915 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 2 | -60.0% |
| 1950 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 1967 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1970 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1977 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 3 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17, 18% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- China's 3 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 17.5, 17% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1810s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1820s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1830s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1840s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1850s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1860s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 1870s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1880s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1890s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1900s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1910s | 6.2 | 4 | 12 | 10 |
| 1920s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 1930s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| 1940s | 4.25 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| 1950s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.7 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.4 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Countries ranked near China
More social development data for China
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 230 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 153,962 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 153,962 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of democracy index in China?
- Distribution of democracy index in China was 3 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 12 in 1912.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1966.
- How does China rank for distribution of democracy index?
- China ranks 150th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 208 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from 0 to 20 (fully democratic).