Key features of democracy in Canada

Canada: Key features of democracy was 0.84 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.84
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
16th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.85
in 2019
All-time low
0.3
in 1861
Years of data
185
1841–2025

Key features of democracy in Canada, 1841–2025

00.20.40.60.8184119332025

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

Analysis

Canada recorded 0.84 for key features of democracy in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Canada peaked at 0.85 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.3, in 1861.

Canada ranks 16th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 185 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1840s 0.3067 0.303 0.309 9
1850s 0.3025 0.301 0.304 10
1860s 0.3254 0.3 0.401 10
1870s 0.4079 0.401 0.436 10
1880s 0.4397 0.436 0.449 10
1890s 0.4645 0.448 0.478 10
1900s 0.4793 0.471 0.482 10
1910s 0.4668 0.431 0.482 10
1920s 0.6351 0.463 0.671 10
1930s 0.6658 0.651 0.694 10
1940s 0.678 0.652 0.716 10
1950s 0.7504 0.744 0.754 10
1960s 0.8094 0.776 0.817 10
1970s 0.825 0.82 0.832 10
1980s 0.8321 0.828 0.835 10
1990s 0.8371 0.831 0.846 10
2000s 0.8282 0.824 0.836 10
2010s 0.8248 0.807 0.85 10
2020s 0.8447 0.84 0.849 6

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 13 Czechia 0.849 compare
  2. 13 New Zealand 0.849 compare
  3. 15 Australia 0.844 compare
  4. 17 Austria 0.839 compare
  5. 17 Chile 0.839 compare
  6. 19 Latvia 0.834 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is key features of democracy in Canada?
Key features of democracy in Canada was 0.84 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 0.85 in 2019.
What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3 in 1861.
How does Canada rank for key features of democracy?
Canada ranks 16th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key features of 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
Key features of democracy
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.