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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 168 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 168 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.

Distribution of Democracy Index in United States, year by year

Year Value Change
1800 15 —
1801 16 +6.7%
1802 16 +0.0%
1803 16 +0.0%
1804 16 +0.0%
1805 16 +0.0%
1806 16 +0.0%
1807 16 +0.0%
1808 16 +0.0%
1809 16 +0.0%
1810 16 +0.0%
1811 16 +0.0%
1812 16 +0.0%
1813 16 +0.0%
1814 16 +0.0%
1815 16 +0.0%
1816 16 +0.0%
1817 16 +0.0%
1818 16 +0.0%
1819 16 +0.0%
1820 16 +0.0%
1821 16 +0.0%
1822 16 +0.0%
1823 16 +0.0%
1824 16 +0.0%
1825 17 +6.2%
1826 17 +0.0%
1827 17 +0.0%
1828 17 +0.0%
1829 20 +17.6%
1830 20 +0.0%
1831 20 +0.0%
1832 20 +0.0%
1833 20 +0.0%
1834 20 +0.0%
1835 20 +0.0%
1836 20 +0.0%
1837 20 +0.0%
1838 20 +0.0%
1839 20 +0.0%
1840 20 +0.0%
1841 20 +0.0%
1842 20 +0.0%
1843 20 +0.0%
1844 20 +0.0%
1845 20 +0.0%
1846 20 +0.0%
1847 20 +0.0%
1848 20 +0.0%
1849 20 +0.0%
1850 19 -5.0%
1851 19 +0.0%
1852 19 +0.0%
1853 19 +0.0%
1854 18 -5.3%
1855 18 +0.0%
1856 18 +0.0%
1857 18 +0.0%
1858 18 +0.0%
1859 18 +0.0%
1860 10 -44.4%
1861 10 +0.0%
1862 10 +0.0%
1863 10 +0.0%
1864 10 +0.0%
1865 17 +70.0%
1866 17 +0.0%
1867 17 +0.0%
1868 17 +0.0%
1869 17 +0.0%
1870 17 +0.0%
1871 17 +0.0%
1872 18 +5.9%
1873 18 +0.0%
1874 18 +0.0%
1875 18 +0.0%
1876 18 +0.0%
1877 19 +5.6%
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 19 +0.0%
1894 19 +0.0%
1895 19 +0.0%
1896 19 +0.0%
1897 19 +0.0%
1898 19 +0.0%
1899 19 +0.0%
1900 19 +0.0%
1901 19 +0.0%
1902 19 +0.0%
1903 19 +0.0%
1904 19 +0.0%
1905 19 +0.0%
1906 19 +0.0%
1907 19 +0.0%
1908 19 +0.0%
1909 19 +0.0%
1910 19 +0.0%
1911 19 +0.0%
1912 19 +0.0%
1913 19 +0.0%
1914 19 +0.0%
1915 19 +0.0%
1916 19 +0.0%
1917 19 +0.0%
1918 19 +0.0%
1919 19 +0.0%
1920 19 +0.0%
1921 19 +0.0%
1922 19 +0.0%
1923 19 +0.0%
1924 19 +0.0%
1925 19 +0.0%
1926 19 +0.0%
1927 19 +0.0%
1928 19 +0.0%
1929 19 +0.0%
1930 19 +0.0%
1931 19 +0.0%
1932 19 +0.0%
1933 19 +0.0%
1934 19 +0.0%
1935 19 +0.0%
1936 19 +0.0%
1937 19 +0.0%
1938 19 +0.0%
1939 19 +0.0%
1940 19 +0.0%
1941 19 +0.0%
1942 19 +0.0%
1943 19 +0.0%
1944 19 +0.0%
1945 19 +0.0%
1946 19 +0.0%
1947 19 +0.0%
1948 19 +0.0%
1949 19 +0.0%
1950 19 +0.0%
1951 19 +0.0%
1952 19 +0.0%
1953 19 +0.0%
1954 19 +0.0%
1955 19 +0.0%
1956 19 +0.0%
1957 19 +0.0%
1958 19 +0.0%
1959 19 +0.0%
1960 19 +0.0%
1961 19 +0.0%
1962 19 +0.0%
1963 19 +0.0%
1964 19 +0.0%
1965 19 +0.0%
1966 19 +0.0%
1967 18 -5.3%
1968 18 +0.0%
1969 18 +0.0%
1970 18 +0.0%
1971 18 +0.0%
1972 18 +0.0%
1973 18 +0.0%
1974 20 +11.1%
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 18 -10.0%
2017 18 +0.0%
2018 18 +0.0%

United States compared with similar countries

  • United States's 18 is below the median for high income countries, which is 20, 90% of the median. (50 countries reporting)

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 Mexico 18 compare
  12. 52 Myanmar 18 compare
  13. 52 Philippines 18 compare
  14. 52 Serbia 18 compare
  15. 52 Solomon Islands 18 compare
  16. 52 South Korea 18 compare
  17. 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 168 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.

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Distribution of Democracy Index in United States. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/distribution-democracy-index-polity/united-states/

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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).