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Distribution of Democracy Index in Germany

Germany: Distribution of Democracy Index was 20 in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
20
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 168 countries
All-time high
20
in 1990
All-time low
1
in 1933
Years of data
106
1868–2018

Distribution of Democracy Index in Germany, 1868–2018

05101520186819432018

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

Analysis

Germany recorded 20 for distribution of democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 106 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Germany peaked at 20 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1933.

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

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Distribution of Democracy Index in Germany, year by year

Year Value Change
1868 4 —
1869 5 +25.0%
1870 5 +0.0%
1871 6 +20.0%
1872 6 +0.0%
1873 6 +0.0%
1874 6 +0.0%
1875 6 +0.0%
1876 6 +0.0%
1877 6 +0.0%
1878 6 +0.0%
1879 6 +0.0%
1880 6 +0.0%
1881 6 +0.0%
1882 6 +0.0%
1883 6 +0.0%
1884 6 +0.0%
1885 6 +0.0%
1886 6 +0.0%
1887 6 +0.0%
1888 6 +0.0%
1889 6 +0.0%
1890 11 +83.3%
1891 11 +0.0%
1892 11 +0.0%
1893 11 +0.0%
1894 11 +0.0%
1895 11 +0.0%
1896 11 +0.0%
1897 11 +0.0%
1898 11 +0.0%
1899 11 +0.0%
1900 11 +0.0%
1901 11 +0.0%
1902 11 +0.0%
1903 11 +0.0%
1904 11 +0.0%
1905 11 +0.0%
1906 11 +0.0%
1907 11 +0.0%
1908 11 +0.0%
1909 12 +9.1%
1910 12 +0.0%
1911 12 +0.0%
1912 12 +0.0%
1913 12 +0.0%
1914 12 +0.0%
1915 12 +0.0%
1916 12 +0.0%
1917 12 +0.0%
1918 14 +16.7%
1919 16 +14.3%
1920 16 +0.0%
1921 16 +0.0%
1922 16 +0.0%
1923 16 +0.0%
1924 16 +0.0%
1925 16 +0.0%
1926 16 +0.0%
1927 16 +0.0%
1928 16 +0.0%
1929 16 +0.0%
1930 16 +0.0%
1931 16 +0.0%
1932 16 +0.0%
1933 1 -93.8%
1934 1 +0.0%
1935 1 +0.0%
1936 1 +0.0%
1937 1 +0.0%
1938 1 +0.0%
1939 1 +0.0%
1940 1 +0.0%
1941 1 +0.0%
1942 1 +0.0%
1943 1 +0.0%
1944 1 +0.0%
1990 20 +1900.0%
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%

Germany compared with similar countries

  • Germany's 20 is above the median for high income countries, which is 20, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
  • Germany'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
1860s 4.5 4 5 2
1870s 5.9 5 6 10
1880s 6 6 6 10
1890s 11 11 11 10
1900s 11.1 11 12 10
1910s 12.6 12 16 10
1920s 16 16 16 10
1930s 5.5 1 16 10
1940s 1 1 1 5
1990s 20 20 20 10
2000s 20 20 20 10
2010s 20 20 20 9

Countries ranked near Germany

  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 France 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 Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is distribution of democracy index in Germany?
Distribution of democracy index in Germany 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 Germany?
The highest recorded value was 20 in 1990.
What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1933.
How does Germany rank for distribution of democracy index?
Germany ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Germany 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 Germany. 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/germany/

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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).