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Distribution of Democracy Index in New Zealand

New Zealand: Distribution of Democracy Index was 20 in 2018. ▬ Flat

Latest (2018)
20
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 168 countries
All-time high
20
in 1857
All-time low
14
in 1876
Years of data
162
1857–2018

Distribution of Democracy Index in New Zealand, 1857–2018

05101520185719372018

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

Analysis

In 2018, distribution of democracy index in New Zealand stood at 20. That is the highest value across all 162 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in New Zealand peaked at 20 in 1857 and was at its lowest, 14, in 1876.

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

Distribution of Democracy Index in New Zealand, year by year

Year Value Change
1857 20 —
1858 20 +0.0%
1859 20 +0.0%
1860 20 +0.0%
1861 20 +0.0%
1862 20 +0.0%
1863 20 +0.0%
1864 20 +0.0%
1865 20 +0.0%
1866 20 +0.0%
1867 20 +0.0%
1868 20 +0.0%
1869 20 +0.0%
1870 20 +0.0%
1871 20 +0.0%
1872 20 +0.0%
1873 20 +0.0%
1874 20 +0.0%
1875 20 +0.0%
1876 14 -30.0%
1877 19 +35.7%
1878 19 +0.0%
1879 19 +0.0%
1880 19 +0.0%
1881 19 +0.0%
1882 19 +0.0%
1883 19 +0.0%
1884 19 +0.0%
1885 19 +0.0%
1886 19 +0.0%
1887 19 +0.0%
1888 19 +0.0%
1889 19 +0.0%
1890 19 +0.0%
1891 19 +0.0%
1892 19 +0.0%
1893 20 +5.3%
1894 20 +0.0%
1895 20 +0.0%
1896 20 +0.0%
1897 20 +0.0%
1898 20 +0.0%
1899 20 +0.0%
1900 20 +0.0%
1901 20 +0.0%
1902 20 +0.0%
1903 20 +0.0%
1904 20 +0.0%
1905 20 +0.0%
1906 20 +0.0%
1907 20 +0.0%
1908 20 +0.0%
1909 20 +0.0%
1910 20 +0.0%
1911 20 +0.0%
1912 20 +0.0%
1913 20 +0.0%
1914 20 +0.0%
1915 20 +0.0%
1916 20 +0.0%
1917 20 +0.0%
1918 20 +0.0%
1919 20 +0.0%
1920 20 +0.0%
1921 20 +0.0%
1922 20 +0.0%
1923 20 +0.0%
1924 20 +0.0%
1925 20 +0.0%
1926 20 +0.0%
1927 20 +0.0%
1928 20 +0.0%
1929 20 +0.0%
1930 20 +0.0%
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%
1940 20 +0.0%
1941 20 +0.0%
1942 20 +0.0%
1943 20 +0.0%
1944 20 +0.0%
1945 20 +0.0%
1946 20 +0.0%
1947 20 +0.0%
1948 20 +0.0%
1949 20 +0.0%
1950 20 +0.0%
1951 20 +0.0%
1952 20 +0.0%
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%

New Zealand compared with similar countries

  • New Zealand's 20 is above the median for high income countries, which is 20, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
  • New Zealand's 20 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 17.5, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1850s 20 20 20 3
1860s 20 20 20 10
1870s 19.1 14 20 10
1880s 19 19 19 10
1890s 19.7 19 20 10
1900s 20 20 20 10
1910s 20 20 20 10
1920s 20 20 20 10
1930s 20 20 20 10
1940s 20 20 20 10
1950s 20 20 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 New Zealand

  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 Ireland 20 compare
  15. 1 Italy 20 compare
  16. 1 Japan 20 compare
  17. 1 Lithuania 20 compare
  18. 1 Luxembourg 20 compare
  19. 1 Mauritius 20 compare
  20. 1 Mongolia 20 compare
  21. 1 Netherlands 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 New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is distribution of democracy index in New Zealand?
Distribution of democracy index in New Zealand 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 New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 20 in 1857.
What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 14 in 1876.
How does New Zealand rank for distribution of democracy index?
New Zealand ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this New Zealand 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 New Zealand. 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/new-zealand/

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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).