What is distribution of democracy index in Ethiopia?

Distribution of democracy index in Ethiopia was 11 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Ethiopia?

The highest recorded value was 11 in 1993.

What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Ethiopia?

The lowest recorded value was 7 in 2005.

How does Ethiopia rank for distribution of democracy index?

Ethiopia ranks 118th out of 167 countries with data for 2018.

Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Ethiopia?

Over the last ten years it is up 57.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Ethiopia 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.

Distribution of Democracy Index in Ethiopia

Name: Distribution of Democracy Index in Ethiopia
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Ethiopia: Distribution of Democracy Index was 11 in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)

Change on year

up 57.1%

World rank

118th

of 167 countries

All-time high

in 1993

All-time low

in 2005

Years of data

1993–2018

Distribution of Democracy Index in Ethiopia, 1993–2018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Ethiopia recorded 11 for distribution of democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

The figure is up 57.1% on the previous year and up 57.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Ethiopia peaked at 11 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 7, in 2005.

Ethiopia ranks 118th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1990s	11	11	11	7
2000s	9	7	11	10
2010s	7.44	7	11	9

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More social development data for Ethiopia

Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 1.01 million (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 164,215 (2025)
Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.257 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.285 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.342 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.257 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.128 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.1 (2025)

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is distribution of democracy index in Ethiopia?: Distribution of democracy index in Ethiopia was 11 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Ethiopia?: The highest recorded value was 11 in 1993.
What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Ethiopia?: The lowest recorded value was 7 in 2005.
How does Ethiopia rank for distribution of democracy index?: Ethiopia ranks 118th out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Ethiopia?: Over the last ten years it is up 57.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia 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 — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Distribution of Democracy Index
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 18,366 data points, 1800–2018
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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).