Distribution of Democracy Index in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Distribution of Democracy Index was 16 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Distribution of Democracy Index in Sri Lanka, 1948–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 16 for distribution of democracy index in 2018.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Sri Lanka peaked at 18 in 1970 and was at its lowest, 13, in 2010.
That places Sri Lanka 87th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 71 years of available data.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 17 | — |
| 1949 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 18 | +5.9% |
| 1971 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 16 | -11.1% |
| 1979 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 15 | -6.2% |
| 1983 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 16 | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 15 | -6.2% |
| 2004 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 16 | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 15 | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 13 | -13.3% |
| 2011 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16 | +23.1% |
| 2016 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16 | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 16 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17, 94% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 16 is below the median for South Asia, which is 17, 94% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 17 | 17 | 17 | 2 |
| 1950s | 17 | 17 | 17 | 10 |
| 1960s | 17 | 17 | 17 | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.6 | 16 | 18 | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.2 | 15 | 16 | 10 |
| 1990s | 15 | 15 | 15 | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.5 | 15 | 16 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.33 | 13 | 16 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0068 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 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 Sri Lanka?
- Distribution of democracy index in Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 18 in 1970.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 13 in 2010.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Sri Lanka ranks 87th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 71 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).