Distribution of Democracy Index in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Distribution of Democracy Index was 11 in 2018. ▼ Falling
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 168 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.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 11 | — |
| 1994 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 | -36.4% |
| 2006 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11 | +57.1% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 11 is above the median for low income countries, which is 11, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 11 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5, 76% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
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
More social development data for Ethiopia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.01 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 164,215 (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 0.0012 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 164,215 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0075 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 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 168 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
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).