Key features of democracy in Romania
Romania: Key features of democracy was 0.605 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Key features of democracy in Romania, 1831–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of democracy in Romania stood at 0.605.
That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Romania peaked at 0.805 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.036, in 1832.
That places Romania 70th 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 Romania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1831 | 0.076 | — |
| 1832 | 0.036 | -52.6% |
| 1833 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1834 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1835 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1836 | 0.04 | +11.1% |
| 1837 | 0.036 | -10.0% |
| 1838 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1839 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1841 | 0.04 | +11.1% |
| 1842 | 0.036 | -10.0% |
| 1843 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1844 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1845 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1846 | 0.041 | +13.9% |
| 1847 | 0.037 | -9.8% |
| 1848 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1849 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1851 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1852 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1853 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1854 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1857 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1858 | 0.053 | +43.2% |
| 1859 | 0.092 | +73.6% |
| 1860 | 0.154 | +67.4% |
| 1861 | 0.172 | +11.7% |
| 1862 | 0.184 | +7.0% |
| 1863 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 0.208 | +13.0% |
| 1865 | 0.197 | -5.3% |
| 1866 | 0.186 | -5.6% |
| 1867 | 0.217 | +16.7% |
| 1868 | 0.217 | +0.0% |
| 1869 | 0.216 | -0.5% |
| 1870 | 0.225 | +4.2% |
| 1871 | 0.216 | -4.0% |
| 1872 | 0.216 | +0.0% |
| 1873 | 0.216 | +0.0% |
| 1874 | 0.216 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 0.217 | +0.5% |
| 1876 | 0.217 | +0.0% |
| 1877 | 0.217 | +0.0% |
| 1878 | 0.217 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 0.22 | +1.4% |
| 1880 | 0.22 | +0.0% |
| 1881 | 0.22 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 0.22 | +0.0% |
| 1883 | 0.219 | -0.5% |
| 1884 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1886 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1887 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1888 | 0.218 | -0.5% |
| 1889 | 0.218 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.218 | +0.0% |
| 1891 | 0.219 | +0.5% |
| 1892 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1897 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 0.219 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.238 | +8.7% |
| 1901 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.239 | +0.4% |
| 1903 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.238 | -0.4% |
| 1906 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.235 | -1.3% |
| 1908 | 0.24 | +2.1% |
| 1909 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.238 | -0.8% |
| 1912 | 0.239 | +0.4% |
| 1913 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.237 | -0.8% |
| 1915 | 0.237 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.232 | -2.1% |
| 1917 | 0.232 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.23 | -0.9% |
| 1919 | 0.239 | +3.9% |
| 1920 | 0.235 | -1.7% |
| 1921 | 0.236 | +0.4% |
| 1922 | 0.233 | -1.3% |
| 1923 | 0.233 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.223 | -4.3% |
| 1925 | 0.227 | +1.8% |
| 1926 | 0.231 | +1.8% |
| 1927 | 0.235 | +1.7% |
| 1928 | 0.235 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.238 | +1.3% |
| 1930 | 0.221 | -7.1% |
| 1931 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.22 | -0.5% |
| 1933 | 0.216 | -1.8% |
| 1934 | 0.218 | +0.9% |
| 1935 | 0.218 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.218 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.208 | -4.6% |
| 1938 | 0.13 | -37.5% |
| 1939 | 0.128 | -1.5% |
| 1940 | 0.113 | -11.7% |
| 1941 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.106 | -6.2% |
| 1945 | 0.134 | +26.4% |
| 1946 | 0.133 | -0.7% |
| 1947 | 0.146 | +9.8% |
| 1948 | 0.137 | -6.2% |
| 1949 | 0.135 | -1.5% |
| 1950 | 0.134 | -0.7% |
| 1951 | 0.134 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.136 | +1.5% |
| 1953 | 0.151 | +11.0% |
| 1954 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.154 | +2.0% |
| 1958 | 0.154 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.154 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.154 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.186 | +20.8% |
| 1962 | 0.187 | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.186 | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.186 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.185 | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 0.185 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.185 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.185 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.522 | +182.2% |
| 1991 | 0.545 | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 0.553 | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 0.562 | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 0.562 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.562 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.573 | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 0.619 | +8.0% |
| 1998 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.611 | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 0.597 | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 0.597 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.609 | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.592 | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 0.61 | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 0.611 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.609 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 0.621 | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 0.666 | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 0.68 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 0.684 | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 0.674 | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 0.672 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.676 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 0.716 | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 0.733 | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 0.695 | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 0.692 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.75 | +8.4% |
| 2020 | 0.805 | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 0.766 | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 0.691 | -9.8% |
| 2023 | 0.677 | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 0.628 | -7.2% |
| 2025 | 0.605 | -3.7% |
Romania compared with similar countries
- Romania's 0.605 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.786, 77% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Romania's 0.605 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.737, 82% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0.0409 | 0.036 | 0.076 | 9 |
| 1840s | 0.0372 | 0.036 | 0.041 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.0441 | 0.037 | 0.092 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.1935 | 0.154 | 0.217 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.2177 | 0.216 | 0.225 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.2191 | 0.218 | 0.22 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.2189 | 0.218 | 0.219 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.2384 | 0.235 | 0.24 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.2363 | 0.23 | 0.24 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.2326 | 0.223 | 0.238 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1998 | 0.128 | 0.221 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1243 | 0.106 | 0.146 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.147 | 0.134 | 0.154 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1832 | 0.154 | 0.187 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.186 | 0.186 | 0.186 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1856 | 0.185 | 0.186 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5736 | 0.522 | 0.619 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6123 | 0.592 | 0.666 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6972 | 0.672 | 0.75 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6953 | 0.605 | 0.805 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Romania
More social development data for Romania
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 206,671 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,130 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,130 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0109 units per person (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 Romania?
- Key features of democracy in Romania was 0.605 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 0.805 in 2020.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.036 in 1832.
- How does Romania rank for key features of democracy?
- Romania ranks 70th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Romania 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
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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.