What is electoral democracy in Canada?

Electoral democracy in Canada was 2 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest electoral democracy recorded in Canada?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 1921.

What is the lowest electoral democracy recorded in Canada?

The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1841.

How does Canada rank for electoral democracy?

Canada ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is electoral democracy rising or falling in Canada?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Canada data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Electoral democracy in Canada

Name: Electoral democracy in Canada
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Canada: Electoral democracy was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 176 countries

All-time high

in 1921

All-time low

in 1841

Years of data

185

1841–2025

Electoral democracy in Canada, 1841–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for electoral democracy in Canada is 2, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 185 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, electoral democracy in Canada peaked at 2 in 1921 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1841.

That places Canada 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1840s	0	0	0	9
1850s	0	0	0	10
1860s	0.3	0	1	10
1870s	1	1	1	10
1880s	1	1	1	10
1890s	1	1	1	10
1900s	1	1	1	10
1910s	1	1	1	10
1920s	1.9	1	2	10
1930s	2	2	2	10
1940s	2	2	2	10
1950s	2	2	2	10
1960s	2	2	2	10
1970s	2	2	2	10
1980s	2	2	2	10
1990s	2	2	2	10
2000s	2	2	2	10
2010s	2	2	2	10
2020s	2	2	2	6

Countries ranked near Canada

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Canada

Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 416,028 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 360 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.84 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.933 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.865 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.84 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.589 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.736 (2025)

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is electoral democracy in Canada?: Electoral democracy in Canada was 2 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest electoral democracy recorded in Canada?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 1921.
What is the lowest electoral democracy recorded in Canada?: The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1841.
How does Canada rank for electoral democracy?: Canada ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is electoral democracy rising or falling in Canada?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Canada data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 185 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Electoral democracy
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,594 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Identifies the political regime of a country using the Regimes of the World classification by political scientists Anna Lührmann, Marcus Tannenberg and Staffan Lindberg.