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Distribution of Democracy Index in Sweden

Sweden: 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 1917
All-time low
0
in 1800
Years of data
219
1800–2018

Distribution of Democracy Index in Sweden, 1800–2018

05101520180019092018

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

Analysis

In 2018, distribution of democracy index in Sweden stood at 20. That is the highest value across all 219 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Sweden peaked at 20 in 1917 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1800.

That places Sweden 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 Sweden, year by year

Year Value Change
1800 0 —
1801 0 —
1802 0 —
1803 0 —
1804 0 —
1805 0 —
1806 0 —
1807 0 —
1808 0 —
1809 1 —
1810 1 +0.0%
1811 1 +0.0%
1812 2 +100.0%
1813 2 +0.0%
1814 2 +0.0%
1815 2 +0.0%
1816 2 +0.0%
1817 2 +0.0%
1818 2 +0.0%
1819 2 +0.0%
1820 2 +0.0%
1821 2 +0.0%
1822 2 +0.0%
1823 2 +0.0%
1824 2 +0.0%
1825 2 +0.0%
1826 2 +0.0%
1827 2 +0.0%
1828 2 +0.0%
1829 2 +0.0%
1830 2 +0.0%
1831 2 +0.0%
1832 2 +0.0%
1833 2 +0.0%
1834 2 +0.0%
1835 2 +0.0%
1836 2 +0.0%
1837 2 +0.0%
1838 2 +0.0%
1839 2 +0.0%
1840 2 +0.0%
1841 2 +0.0%
1842 3 +50.0%
1843 3 +0.0%
1844 3 +0.0%
1845 3 +0.0%
1846 3 +0.0%
1847 3 +0.0%
1848 3 +0.0%
1849 3 +0.0%
1850 3 +0.0%
1851 3 +0.0%
1852 3 +0.0%
1853 3 +0.0%
1854 3 +0.0%
1855 5 +66.7%
1856 5 +0.0%
1857 5 +0.0%
1858 5 +0.0%
1859 5 +0.0%
1860 5 +0.0%
1861 5 +0.0%
1862 5 +0.0%
1863 5 +0.0%
1864 5 +0.0%
1865 5 +0.0%
1866 5 +0.0%
1867 5 +0.0%
1868 5 +0.0%
1869 5 +0.0%
1870 6 +20.0%
1871 6 +0.0%
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 6 +0.0%
1891 6 +0.0%
1892 6 +0.0%
1893 6 +0.0%
1894 6 +0.0%
1895 6 +0.0%
1896 6 +0.0%
1897 6 +0.0%
1898 6 +0.0%
1899 6 +0.0%
1900 6 +0.0%
1901 6 +0.0%
1902 6 +0.0%
1903 6 +0.0%
1904 6 +0.0%
1905 6 +0.0%
1906 6 +0.0%
1907 7 +16.7%
1908 8 +14.3%
1909 10 +25.0%
1910 11 +10.0%
1911 12 +9.1%
1912 14 +16.7%
1913 15 +7.1%
1914 16 +6.7%
1915 18 +12.5%
1916 19 +5.6%
1917 20 +5.3%
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%

Sweden compared with similar countries

  • Sweden's 20 is above the median for high income countries, which is 20, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
  • Sweden'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
1800s 0.1 0 1 10
1810s 1.8 1 2 10
1820s 2 2 2 10
1830s 2 2 2 10
1840s 2.8 2 3 10
1850s 4 3 5 10
1860s 5 5 5 10
1870s 6 6 6 10
1880s 6 6 6 10
1890s 6 6 6 10
1900s 6.7 6 10 10
1910s 16.5 11 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 Sweden

  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 New Zealand 20 compare
  23. 1 Norway 20 compare
  24. 1 Poland 20 compare
  25. 1 Portugal 20 compare
  26. 1 Slovakia 20 compare
  27. 1 Slovenia 20 compare
  28. 1 Spain 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 Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is distribution of democracy index in Sweden?
Distribution of democracy index in Sweden 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 Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 20 in 1917.
What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1800.
How does Sweden rank for distribution of democracy index?
Sweden ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sweden 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 Sweden. 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/sweden/

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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).