Key features of democracy in France
France: Key features of democracy was 0.865 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Key features of democracy in France, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for key features of democracy in France is 0.865, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in France peaked at 0.89 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.082, in 1941.
France ranks 9th 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 | 0.256 | 0.256 | 0.256 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.2636 | 0.233 | 0.275 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.118 | 0.118 | 0.118 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.1486 | 0.093 | 0.185 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.171 | 0.13 | 0.186 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.2058 | 0.205 | 0.206 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.2527 | 0.205 | 0.479 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.2159 | 0.161 | 0.479 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.199 | 0.175 | 0.203 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.4815 | 0.319 | 0.538 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.5463 | 0.545 | 0.548 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.5445 | 0.541 | 0.551 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.5598 | 0.555 | 0.562 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.5365 | 0.512 | 0.566 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.563 | 0.56 | 0.566 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.5548 | 0.534 | 0.561 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.3265 | 0.082 | 0.737 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.7444 | 0.722 | 0.754 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.7712 | 0.748 | 0.805 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.844 | 0.828 | 0.854 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8661 | 0.854 | 0.875 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8738 | 0.869 | 0.875 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8763 | 0.873 | 0.885 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8833 | 0.866 | 0.89 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8682 | 0.864 | 0.875 | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
- 7 Switzerland 0.882 compare
- 8 Luxembourg 0.869 compare
- 10 Costa Rica 0.862 compare
- 10 Uruguay 0.862 compare
- 12 Finland 0.852 compare
More social development data for France
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 788,419 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 166 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Public Sector Corruption Index 0.019 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.959 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.889 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.865 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.597 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.8 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of democracy in France?
- Key features of democracy in France was 0.865 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 0.89 in 2012.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.082 in 1941.
- How does France rank for key features of democracy?
- France ranks 9th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this France 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.