Key features of democracy in Maldives
Maldives: Key features of democracy was 0.556 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Key features of democracy in Maldives, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of democracy in Maldives stood at 0.556.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and up 46.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Maldives peaked at 0.609 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.015, in 1900.
That places Maldives 79th 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.
Key features of democracy in Maldives, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.015 | — |
| 1901 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.015 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.077 | +413.3% |
| 1934 | 0.092 | +19.5% |
| 1935 | 0.139 | +51.1% |
| 1936 | 0.139 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.139 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.139 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.139 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.139 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.13 | -6.5% |
| 1942 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.129 | -0.8% |
| 1954 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.13 | +0.8% |
| 1956 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.131 | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 0.13 | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.131 | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 0.129 | -1.5% |
| 1967 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.142 | +10.1% |
| 1969 | 0.172 | +21.1% |
| 1970 | 0.171 | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 0.171 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.171 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.171 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.171 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.172 | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.172 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.163 | -5.2% |
| 1979 | 0.155 | -4.9% |
| 1980 | 0.155 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.155 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.155 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.155 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.154 | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 0.157 | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.156 | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 0.157 | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 0.167 | +6.4% |
| 1991 | 0.16 | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 0.16 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.16 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.158 | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 0.16 | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 0.16 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.16 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.161 | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 0.158 | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 0.161 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 0.162 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.163 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.171 | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 0.175 | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 0.283 | +61.7% |
| 2006 | 0.303 | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 0.308 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 0.459 | +49.0% |
| 2009 | 0.609 | +32.7% |
| 2010 | 0.599 | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 0.6 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 0.543 | -9.5% |
| 2013 | 0.453 | -16.6% |
| 2014 | 0.407 | -10.2% |
| 2015 | 0.38 | -6.6% |
| 2016 | 0.365 | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 0.353 | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 0.391 | +10.8% |
| 2019 | 0.57 | +45.8% |
| 2020 | 0.581 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 0.582 | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 0.586 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 0.596 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 0.577 | -3.2% |
| 2025 | 0.556 | -3.6% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 0.556 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.491, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 0.556 is below the median for South Asia, which is 0.561, 99% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.015 | 0.015 | 0.015 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.015 | 0.015 | 0.015 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.015 | 0.015 | 0.015 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0909 | 0.015 | 0.139 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1309 | 0.13 | 0.139 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1298 | 0.129 | 0.13 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1354 | 0.129 | 0.172 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1689 | 0.155 | 0.172 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1558 | 0.154 | 0.157 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1604 | 0.158 | 0.167 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2794 | 0.161 | 0.609 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4661 | 0.353 | 0.6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5797 | 0.556 | 0.596 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More social development data for Maldives
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 62 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 62 (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -18.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of democracy in Maldives?
- Key features of democracy in Maldives was 0.556 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 0.609 in 2009.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.015 in 1900.
- How does Maldives rank for key features of democracy?
- Maldives ranks 79th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Maldives 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.