What is electoral democracy in Portugal?

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

What is the highest electoral democracy recorded in Portugal?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 1976.

What is the lowest electoral democracy recorded in Portugal?

The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.

How does Portugal rank for electoral democracy?

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

Is electoral democracy rising or falling in Portugal?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Electoral democracy in Portugal

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

Portugal: Electoral democracy was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 176 countries

All-time high

in 1976

All-time low

in 1789

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Electoral democracy in Portugal, 1789–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, electoral democracy in Portugal stood at 2. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, electoral democracy in Portugal peaked at 2 in 1976 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.

That places Portugal 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
1780s	0	0	0	1
1790s	0	0	0	10
1800s	0	0	0	10
1810s	0	0	0	10
1820s	0	0	0	10
1830s	0	0	0	10
1840s	0	0	0	10
1850s	0	0	0	10
1860s	0	0	0	10
1870s	0	0	0	10
1880s	0	0	0	10
1890s	0	0	0	10
1900s	0	0	0	10
1910s	0.8	0	1	10
1920s	0.6	0	1	10
1930s	0	0	0	10
1940s	0.5	0	1	10
1950s	0.9	0	1	10
1960s	0.1	0	1	10
1970s	0.8	0	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 Portugal

See the full ranking of 176 places →

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)
Key features of democracy 0.822 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.899 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.874 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.822 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.529 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.717 (2025)

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is electoral democracy in Portugal?: Electoral democracy in Portugal was 2 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest electoral democracy recorded in Portugal?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 1976.
What is the lowest electoral democracy recorded in Portugal?: The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
How does Portugal rank for electoral democracy?: Portugal ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is electoral democracy rising or falling in Portugal?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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. 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

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.