Key features of democracy in Iran
Iran: Key features of democracy was 0.159 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Key features of democracy in Iran, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for key features of democracy in Iran is 0.159, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.2% on the previous year and down 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Iran peaked at 0.234 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.029, in 1900.
Iran ranks 152nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0599 | 0.029 | 0.121 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.1241 | 0.121 | 0.137 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.1063 | 0.056 | 0.145 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1135 | 0.113 | 0.115 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1424 | 0.1 | 0.164 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1055 | 0.057 | 0.205 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0904 | 0.06 | 0.111 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1155 | 0.107 | 0.159 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.134 | 0.104 | 0.177 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1828 | 0.159 | 0.234 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1986 | 0.158 | 0.234 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1724 | 0.144 | 0.186 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1582 | 0.148 | 0.166 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More social development data for Iran
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 770,514 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 157,912 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Public Sector Corruption Index 0.661 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.166 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.093 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.159 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.042 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.103 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of democracy in Iran?
- Key features of democracy in Iran was 0.159 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 0.234 in 1999.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.029 in 1900.
- How does Iran rank for key features of democracy?
- Iran ranks 152nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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 — 126 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.