Key features of democracy in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Key features of democracy was 0.257 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Key features of democracy in Ethiopia, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of democracy in Ethiopia stood at 0.257.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Ethiopia peaked at 0.329 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.01, in 1789.
That places Ethiopia 127th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.011 | 0.011 | 0.011 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.011 | 0.011 | 0.011 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.011 | 0.011 | 0.011 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0106 | 0.01 | 0.011 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0128 | 0.011 | 0.014 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0472 | 0.014 | 0.093 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0932 | 0.093 | 0.094 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0829 | 0.072 | 0.095 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0901 | 0.072 | 0.149 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2211 | 0.15 | 0.245 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2436 | 0.241 | 0.256 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2409 | 0.223 | 0.329 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2843 | 0.257 | 0.32 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 124 Cameroon 0.26 compare
- 125 Kazakhstan 0.259 compare
- 125 Morocco 0.259 compare
- 128 Uganda 0.253 compare
- 129 Guinea-Bissau 0.252 compare
More social development data for Ethiopia
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 1.01 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 164,215 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Public Sector Corruption Index 0.678 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.285 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.342 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.257 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.128 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of democracy in Ethiopia?
- Key features of democracy in Ethiopia was 0.257 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.329 in 2019.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.01 in 1789.
- How does Ethiopia rank for key features of democracy?
- Ethiopia ranks 127th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.