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Distribution of Democracy Index in Ireland

Ireland: 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 1927
All-time low
18
in 1921
Years of data
98
1921–2018

Distribution of Democracy Index in Ireland, 1921–2018

05101520192119692018

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for distribution of democracy index in Ireland is 20, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 98 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Ireland peaked at 20 in 1927 and was at its lowest, 18, in 1921.

Ireland ranks 1st of 168 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 98 years of available data.

Distribution of Democracy Index in Ireland, year by year

Year Value Change
1921 18 —
1922 18 +0.0%
1923 18 +0.0%
1924 18 +0.0%
1925 18 +0.0%
1926 18 +0.0%
1927 20 +11.1%
1928 20 +0.0%
1929 20 +0.0%
1930 20 +0.0%
1931 20 +0.0%
1932 20 +0.0%
1933 18 -10.0%
1934 18 +0.0%
1935 18 +0.0%
1936 18 +0.0%
1937 18 +0.0%
1938 18 +0.0%
1939 18 +0.0%
1940 18 +0.0%
1941 18 +0.0%
1942 18 +0.0%
1943 18 +0.0%
1944 18 +0.0%
1945 18 +0.0%
1946 18 +0.0%
1947 18 +0.0%
1948 18 +0.0%
1949 18 +0.0%
1950 18 +0.0%
1951 18 +0.0%
1952 20 +11.1%
1953 20 +0.0%
1954 20 +0.0%
1955 20 +0.0%
1956 20 +0.0%
1957 20 +0.0%
1958 20 +0.0%
1959 20 +0.0%
1960 20 +0.0%
1961 20 +0.0%
1962 20 +0.0%
1963 20 +0.0%
1964 20 +0.0%
1965 20 +0.0%
1966 20 +0.0%
1967 20 +0.0%
1968 20 +0.0%
1969 20 +0.0%
1970 20 +0.0%
1971 20 +0.0%
1972 20 +0.0%
1973 20 +0.0%
1974 20 +0.0%
1975 20 +0.0%
1976 20 +0.0%
1977 20 +0.0%
1978 20 +0.0%
1979 20 +0.0%
1980 20 +0.0%
1981 20 +0.0%
1982 20 +0.0%
1983 20 +0.0%
1984 20 +0.0%
1985 20 +0.0%
1986 20 +0.0%
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%

Ireland compared with similar countries

  • Ireland's 20 is above the median for high income countries, which is 20, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
  • Ireland'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
1920s 18.67 18 20 9
1930s 18.6 18 20 10
1940s 18 18 18 10
1950s 19.6 18 20 10
1960s 20 20 20 10
1970s 20 20 20 10
1980s 20 20 20 10
1990s 20 20 20 10
2000s 20 20 20 10
2010s 20 20 20 9

Countries ranked near Ireland

  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 Germany 20 compare
  12. 1 Greece 20 compare
  13. 1 Hungary 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 Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is distribution of democracy index in Ireland?
Distribution of democracy index in Ireland 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 Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 20 in 1927.
What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 18 in 1921.
How does Ireland rank for distribution of democracy index?
Ireland ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland 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 Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/distribution-democracy-index-polity/ireland/

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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).