Full democracy in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Full democracy was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Full democracy in United Kingdom, 1789–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 1 for full democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, full democracy in United Kingdom peaked at 1 in 1928 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
That places United Kingdom 1st out of 197 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 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.2 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.4 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
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- 1 Australia 1 compare
- 1 Austria 1 compare
- 1 Bahamas 1 compare
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- 1 Belize 1 compare
- 1 Brazil 1 compare
- 1 Bulgaria 1 compare
- 1 Canada 1 compare
- 1 Cape Verde 1 compare
- 1 Chile 1 compare
- 1 Costa Rica 1 compare
- 1 Croatia 1 compare
- 1 Cyprus 1 compare
- 1 Czechia 1 compare
- 1 Denmark 1 compare
- 1 Dominica 1 compare
- 1 Dominican Republic 1 compare
- 1 Estonia 1 compare
- 1 Fiji 1 compare
- 1 Finland 1 compare
- 1 France 1 compare
- 1 Germany 1 compare
- 1 Ghana 1 compare
- 1 Greece 1 compare
- 1 Grenada 1 compare
- 1 Guyana 1 compare
- 1 Iceland 1 compare
- 1 Italy 1 compare
- 1 Jamaica 1 compare
- 1 Japan 1 compare
- 1 Kiribati 1 compare
- 1 Latvia 1 compare
- 1 Lithuania 1 compare
- 1 Marshall Islands 1 compare
- 1 Mauritius 1 compare
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- 1 Namibia 1 compare
- 1 Nauru 1 compare
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- 1 Norway 1 compare
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- 1 Portugal 1 compare
- 1 Romania 1 compare
- 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 compare
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- 1 San Marino 1 compare
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- 1 South Africa 1 compare
- 1 South Korea 1 compare
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- 1 Suriname 1 compare
- 1 Sweden 1 compare
- 1 Switzerland 1 compare
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More social development data for United Kingdom
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 517 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.772 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.833 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.859 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.772 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.533 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.689 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is full democracy in United Kingdom?
- Full democracy in United Kingdom was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest full democracy recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 1928.
- What is the lowest full democracy recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does United Kingdom rank for full democracy?
- United Kingdom ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is full democracy rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Full 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
Identifies if a country is a full democracy using the extended Lexical Index of Electoral Democracy (LIED+).