Key features of democracy in Estonia
Estonia: Key features of democracy was 0.887 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Key features of democracy in Estonia, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of democracy in Estonia stood at 0.887.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Estonia peaked at 0.907 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.016, in 1848.
Estonia ranks 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.029 | 0.029 | 0.029 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.019 | 0.019 | 0.019 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.019 | 0.019 | 0.019 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.019 | 0.019 | 0.019 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.0186 | 0.018 | 0.019 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.018 | 0.018 | 0.018 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.0176 | 0.016 | 0.018 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.0222 | 0.016 | 0.029 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.032 | 0.029 | 0.035 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.0329 | 0.032 | 0.035 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.0344 | 0.032 | 0.035 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.0356 | 0.033 | 0.037 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.0735 | 0.047 | 0.109 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.1574 | 0.098 | 0.491 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.6805 | 0.617 | 0.707 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.3939 | 0.126 | 0.703 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0959 | 0.093 | 0.1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1043 | 0.102 | 0.106 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0951 | 0.092 | 0.106 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1068 | 0.101 | 0.109 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1225 | 0.106 | 0.176 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.795 | 0.45 | 0.881 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8706 | 0.868 | 0.874 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8929 | 0.88 | 0.907 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8943 | 0.887 | 0.9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
More social development data for Estonia
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 41,299 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 86 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Public Sector Corruption Index 0.037 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.969 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.908 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.887 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.621 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.837 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of democracy in Estonia?
- Key features of democracy in Estonia was 0.887 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.907 in 2016.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.016 in 1848.
- How does Estonia rank for key features of democracy?
- Estonia ranks 5th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Estonia 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 — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.