Electoral Democracy Index in Switzerland

Switzerland: Electoral Democracy Index was 0.882 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.882
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
7th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.907
in 2012
All-time low
0.178
in 1801
Years of data
228
1798–2025

Electoral Democracy Index in Switzerland, 1798–2025

0.20.40.60.81179819112025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, electoral democracy index in Switzerland stood at 0.882.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, electoral democracy index in Switzerland peaked at 0.907 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.178, in 1801.

That places Switzerland 7th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 228 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1790s 0.215 0.215 0.215 2
1800s 0.1817 0.178 0.206 10
1810s 0.178 0.178 0.178 10
1820s 0.178 0.178 0.178 10
1830s 0.2095 0.178 0.213 10
1840s 0.2573 0.213 0.543 10
1850s 0.5423 0.54 0.543 10
1860s 0.5415 0.54 0.542 10
1870s 0.5653 0.542 0.581 10
1880s 0.5806 0.58 0.582 10
1890s 0.5796 0.578 0.581 10
1900s 0.5949 0.586 0.601 10
1910s 0.5983 0.596 0.601 10
1920s 0.6066 0.606 0.608 10
1930s 0.6068 0.605 0.609 10
1940s 0.6065 0.597 0.617 10
1950s 0.6171 0.617 0.618 10
1960s 0.6214 0.621 0.623 10
1970s 0.8122 0.624 0.863 10
1980s 0.8713 0.87 0.875 10
1990s 0.8879 0.886 0.89 10
2000s 0.8891 0.886 0.895 10
2010s 0.9024 0.895 0.907 10
2020s 0.8898 0.882 0.902 6

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 5 Estonia 0.887 compare
  2. 9 France 0.865 compare
  3. 10 Costa Rica 0.862 compare
  4. 10 Uruguay 0.862 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is electoral democracy index in Switzerland?
Electoral democracy index in Switzerland was 0.882 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest electoral democracy index recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 0.907 in 2012.
What is the lowest electoral democracy index recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.178 in 1801.
How does Switzerland rank for electoral democracy index?
Switzerland ranks 7th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is electoral democracy index rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland 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 — 228 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Electoral Democracy Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

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.