Electoral Democracy Index in Portugal
Portugal: Electoral Democracy Index was 0.822 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Electoral Democracy Index in Portugal, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, electoral democracy index in Portugal stood at 0.822.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electoral democracy index in Portugal peaked at 0.899 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.015, in 1789.
That places Portugal 22nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.015 | 0.015 | 0.015 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.015 | 0.015 | 0.015 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.015 | 0.015 | 0.015 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.015 | 0.015 | 0.015 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.1536 | 0.042 | 0.231 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.0884 | 0.042 | 0.146 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.129 | 0.126 | 0.131 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.139 | 0.127 | 0.151 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.1621 | 0.16 | 0.163 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.1663 | 0.158 | 0.178 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.178 | 0.177 | 0.179 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.1696 | 0.16 | 0.179 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.1478 | 0.146 | 0.153 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.2286 | 0.161 | 0.258 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.1862 | 0.048 | 0.252 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1134 | 0.107 | 0.122 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1169 | 0.115 | 0.118 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1206 | 0.12 | 0.122 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1255 | 0.119 | 0.129 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.3886 | 0.147 | 0.753 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8574 | 0.841 | 0.87 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8638 | 0.858 | 0.869 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.883 | 0.867 | 0.894 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8893 | 0.884 | 0.899 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8548 | 0.822 | 0.886 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More social development data for Portugal
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 70,349 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 109 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Varieties of democracy 0.822 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.717 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.836 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.529 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.836 (2025)
- Key features of electoral democracy 0.822 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electoral democracy index in Portugal?
- Electoral democracy index in Portugal was 0.822 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electoral democracy index recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 0.899 in 2018.
- What is the lowest electoral democracy index recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.015 in 1789.
- How does Portugal rank for electoral democracy index?
- Portugal ranks 22nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electoral democracy index rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Electoral Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.