What is electoral democracy in Switzerland?

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

What is the highest electoral democracy recorded in Switzerland?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 1849.

What is the lowest electoral democracy recorded in Switzerland?

The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1798.

How does Switzerland rank for electoral democracy?

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

Is electoral democracy rising or falling in Switzerland?

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

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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Electoral democracy in Switzerland

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

Switzerland: Electoral democracy was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 176 countries

All-time high

in 1849

All-time low

in 1798

Years of data

228

1798–2025

Electoral democracy in Switzerland, 1798–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, electoral democracy in Switzerland stood at 2. That is the highest value across all 228 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, electoral democracy in Switzerland peaked at 2 in 1849 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1798.

Switzerland ranks 1st of 176 countries on this measure, 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
1790s	0	0	0	2
1800s	0	0	0	10
1810s	0	0	0	10
1820s	0	0	0	10
1830s	0	0	0	10
1840s	0.3	0	2	10
1850s	2	2	2	10
1860s	2	2	2	10
1870s	2	2	2	10
1880s	2	2	2	10
1890s	2	2	2	10
1900s	2	2	2	10
1910s	2	2	2	10
1920s	2	2	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 Switzerland

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Switzerland

Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 208,287 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 6 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.882 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.967 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.917 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.882 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.785 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.843 (2025)

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is electoral democracy in Switzerland?: Electoral democracy in Switzerland was 2 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest electoral democracy recorded in Switzerland?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 1849.
What is the lowest electoral democracy recorded in Switzerland?: The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1798.
How does Switzerland rank for electoral democracy?: Switzerland ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is electoral democracy rising or falling in Switzerland?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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. 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
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.