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Distribution of Democracy Index in United States

United States: Distribution of Democracy Index was 18 in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
18
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
52nd
of 167 countries
All-time high
20
in 1829
All-time low
10
in 1860
Years of data
219
1800–2018

Distribution of Democracy Index in United States, 1800–2018

05101520180019092018

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

Analysis

In 2018, distribution of democracy index in United States stood at 18.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in United States peaked at 20 in 1829 and was at its lowest, 10, in 1860.

That places United States 52nd out of 167 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 219 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1800s 15.9 15 16 10
1810s 16 16 16 10
1820s 16.8 16 20 10
1830s 20 20 20 10
1840s 20 20 20 10
1850s 18.4 18 19 10
1860s 13.5 10 17 10
1870s 18.1 17 19 10
1880s 19 19 19 10
1890s 19 19 19 10
1900s 19 19 19 10
1910s 19 19 19 10
1920s 19 19 19 10
1930s 19 19 19 10
1940s 19 19 19 10
1950s 19 19 19 10
1960s 18.7 18 19 10
1970s 19.2 18 20 10
1980s 20 20 20 10
1990s 20 20 20 10
2000s 20 20 20 10
2010s 19.33 18 20 9

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 52 Belgium 18 compare
  2. 52 Botswana 18 compare
  3. 52 Brazil 18 compare
  4. 52 East Timor 18 compare
  5. 52 El Salvador 18 compare
  6. 52 Ghana 18 compare
  7. 52 Guatemala 18 compare
  8. 52 Kyrgyzstan 18 compare
  9. 52 Latvia 18 compare
  10. 52 Lesotho 18 compare
  11. 52 Myanmar 18 compare
  12. 52 Philippines 18 compare
  13. 52 Serbia 18 compare
  14. 52 Solomon Islands 18 compare
  15. 52 South Korea 18 compare
  16. 52 United Kingdom 18 compare

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More social development data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is distribution of democracy index in United States?
Distribution of democracy index in United States was 18 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 20 in 1829.
What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 10 in 1860.
How does United States rank for distribution of democracy index?
United States ranks 52nd out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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 — 219 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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).