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Distribution of Democracy Index in France

France: Distribution of Democracy Index was 20 in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
20
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 168 countries
All-time high
20
in 1930
All-time low
2
in 1800
Years of data
215
1800–2018

Distribution of Democracy Index in France, 1800–2018

05101520180019092018

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

Analysis

In 2018, distribution of democracy index in France stood at 20. That is the highest value across all 215 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in France peaked at 20 in 1930 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1800.

That places France 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 215 years of available data.

Distribution of Democracy Index in France, year by year

Year Value Change
1800 2 —
1801 2 +0.0%
1802 2 +0.0%
1803 2 +0.0%
1804 2 +0.0%
1805 2 +0.0%
1806 2 +0.0%
1807 2 +0.0%
1808 2 +0.0%
1809 2 +0.0%
1810 2 +0.0%
1811 2 +0.0%
1812 2 +0.0%
1813 2 +0.0%
1814 6 +200.0%
1815 6 +0.0%
1816 6 +0.0%
1817 6 +0.0%
1818 6 +0.0%
1819 6 +0.0%
1820 6 +0.0%
1821 6 +0.0%
1822 6 +0.0%
1823 6 +0.0%
1824 6 +0.0%
1825 6 +0.0%
1826 6 +0.0%
1827 6 +0.0%
1828 6 +0.0%
1829 6 +0.0%
1830 9 +50.0%
1831 9 +0.0%
1832 9 +0.0%
1833 9 +0.0%
1834 9 +0.0%
1835 9 +0.0%
1836 9 +0.0%
1837 9 +0.0%
1838 9 +0.0%
1839 9 +0.0%
1840 9 +0.0%
1841 9 +0.0%
1842 9 +0.0%
1843 9 +0.0%
1844 9 +0.0%
1845 9 +0.0%
1846 9 +0.0%
1847 9 +0.0%
1848 16 +77.8%
1849 16 +0.0%
1850 16 +0.0%
1851 9 -43.8%
1852 2 -77.8%
1853 2 +0.0%
1854 2 +0.0%
1855 2 +0.0%
1856 2 +0.0%
1857 2 +0.0%
1858 2 +0.0%
1859 2 +0.0%
1860 2 +0.0%
1861 3 +50.0%
1862 4 +33.3%
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 7 +75.0%
1870 8 +14.3%
1871 9 +12.5%
1872 11 +22.2%
1873 12 +9.1%
1874 13 +8.3%
1875 15 +15.4%
1876 16 +6.7%
1877 17 +6.2%
1878 17 +0.0%
1879 17 +0.0%
1880 17 +0.0%
1881 17 +0.0%
1882 17 +0.0%
1883 17 +0.0%
1884 17 +0.0%
1885 17 +0.0%
1886 17 +0.0%
1887 17 +0.0%
1888 17 +0.0%
1889 17 +0.0%
1890 17 +0.0%
1891 17 +0.0%
1892 17 +0.0%
1893 17 +0.0%
1894 17 +0.0%
1895 17 +0.0%
1896 17 +0.0%
1897 17 +0.0%
1898 18 +5.9%
1899 18 +0.0%
1900 18 +0.0%
1901 18 +0.0%
1902 18 +0.0%
1903 18 +0.0%
1904 18 +0.0%
1905 18 +0.0%
1906 18 +0.0%
1907 18 +0.0%
1908 18 +0.0%
1909 18 +0.0%
1910 18 +0.0%
1911 18 +0.0%
1912 18 +0.0%
1913 18 +0.0%
1914 18 +0.0%
1915 18 +0.0%
1916 18 +0.0%
1917 18 +0.0%
1918 18 +0.0%
1919 19 +5.6%
1920 19 +0.0%
1921 19 +0.0%
1922 19 +0.0%
1923 19 +0.0%
1924 19 +0.0%
1925 19 +0.0%
1926 19 +0.0%
1927 19 +0.0%
1928 19 +0.0%
1929 19 +0.0%
1930 20 +5.3%
1931 20 +0.0%
1932 20 +0.0%
1933 20 +0.0%
1934 20 +0.0%
1935 20 +0.0%
1936 20 +0.0%
1937 20 +0.0%
1938 20 +0.0%
1939 20 +0.0%
1944 19 -5.0%
1945 19 +0.0%
1946 19 +0.0%
1947 18 -5.3%
1948 18 +0.0%
1949 18 +0.0%
1950 18 +0.0%
1951 18 +0.0%
1952 18 +0.0%
1953 18 +0.0%
1954 18 +0.0%
1955 18 +0.0%
1956 18 +0.0%
1957 18 +0.0%
1958 10 -44.4%
1959 14 +40.0%
1960 14 +0.0%
1961 14 +0.0%
1962 14 +0.0%
1963 14 +0.0%
1964 14 +0.0%
1965 17 +21.4%
1966 17 +0.0%
1967 17 +0.0%
1968 17 +0.0%
1969 19 +11.8%
1970 19 +0.0%
1971 19 +0.0%
1972 19 +0.0%
1973 19 +0.0%
1974 19 +0.0%
1975 19 +0.0%
1976 19 +0.0%
1977 19 +0.0%
1978 19 +0.0%
1979 19 +0.0%
1980 19 +0.0%
1981 19 +0.0%
1982 19 +0.0%
1983 19 +0.0%
1984 19 +0.0%
1985 19 +0.0%
1986 20 +5.3%
1987 20 +0.0%
1988 20 +0.0%
1989 20 +0.0%
1990 20 +0.0%
1991 20 +0.0%
1992 20 +0.0%
1993 20 +0.0%
1994 20 +0.0%
1995 20 +0.0%
1996 20 +0.0%
1997 20 +0.0%
1998 20 +0.0%
1999 20 +0.0%
2000 20 +0.0%
2001 20 +0.0%
2002 20 +0.0%
2003 20 +0.0%
2004 20 +0.0%
2005 20 +0.0%
2006 20 +0.0%
2007 20 +0.0%
2008 20 +0.0%
2009 20 +0.0%
2010 20 +0.0%
2011 20 +0.0%
2012 20 +0.0%
2013 20 +0.0%
2014 20 +0.0%
2015 20 +0.0%
2016 20 +0.0%
2017 20 +0.0%
2018 20 +0.0%

France compared with similar countries

  • France's 20 is above the median for high income countries, which is 20, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
  • France's 20 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 19, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1800s 2 2 2 10
1810s 4.4 2 6 10
1820s 6 6 6 10
1830s 9 9 9 10
1840s 10.4 9 16 10
1850s 4.1 2 16 10
1860s 4 2 7 10
1870s 13.5 8 17 10
1880s 17 17 17 10
1890s 17.2 17 18 10
1900s 18 18 18 10
1910s 18.1 18 19 10
1920s 19 19 19 10
1930s 20 20 20 10
1940s 18.5 18 19 6
1950s 16.8 10 18 10
1960s 15.7 14 19 10
1970s 19 19 19 10
1980s 19.4 19 20 10
1990s 20 20 20 10
2000s 20 20 20 10
2010s 20 20 20 9

Countries ranked near France

  1. 1 Australia 20 compare
  2. 1 Austria 20 compare
  3. 1 Canada 20 compare
  4. 1 Cape Verde 20 compare
  5. 1 Chile 20 compare
  6. 1 Costa Rica 20 compare
  7. 1 Cyprus 20 compare
  8. 1 Denmark 20 compare
  9. 1 Finland 20 compare
  10. 1 Germany 20 compare
  11. 1 Greece 20 compare
  12. 1 Hungary 20 compare
  13. 1 Ireland 20 compare
  14. 1 Italy 20 compare
  15. 1 Japan 20 compare
  16. 1 Lithuania 20 compare
  17. 1 Luxembourg 20 compare
  18. 1 Mauritius 20 compare
  19. 1 Mongolia 20 compare
  20. 1 Netherlands 20 compare
  21. 1 New Zealand 20 compare
  22. 1 Norway 20 compare
  23. 1 Poland 20 compare
  24. 1 Portugal 20 compare
  25. 1 Slovakia 20 compare
  26. 1 Slovenia 20 compare
  27. 1 Spain 20 compare
  28. 1 Sweden 20 compare
  29. 1 Switzerland 20 compare
  30. 1 Taiwan 20 compare
  31. 1 Uruguay 20 compare

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More social development data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is distribution of democracy index in France?
Distribution of democracy index in France was 20 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 20 in 1930.
What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1800.
How does France rank for distribution of democracy index?
France ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France 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.

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Distribution of Democracy Index in France. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/distribution-democracy-index-polity/france/

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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

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).