Distribution of Democracy Index in Iraq
Iraq: Distribution of Democracy Index was 16 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Distribution of Democracy Index in Iraq, 1924–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, distribution of democracy index in Iraq stood at 16. That is the highest value across all 88 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Iraq peaked at 16 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1979.
Iraq ranks 87th of 168 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 6 | — |
| 1925 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1937 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1942 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1959 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3 | -40.0% |
| 1969 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1 | -66.7% |
| 1980 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 13 | +1200.0% |
| 2011 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16 | +23.1% |
| 2015 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16 | +0.0% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 16 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17, 94% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 16 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 7, 2.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 1930s | 6.4 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 1940s | 6.1 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 1950s | 5.8 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.6 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.8 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2010s | 14.67 | 13 | 16 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More social development data for Iraq
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 322,345 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 270,671 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0058 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 270,671 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0069 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 Iraq?
- Distribution of democracy index in Iraq was 16 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 16 in 2014.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1979.
- How does Iraq rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Iraq ranks 87th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iraq 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 — 88 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).