Key features of democracy in Senegal
Senegal: Key features of democracy was 0.633 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.633
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
65th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.728
in 2020
All-time low
0.048
in 1921
Years of data
122
1904–2025
Key features of democracy in Senegal, 1904–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of democracy in Senegal stood at 0.633.
The figure is up 4.6% on the previous year and down 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Senegal peaked at 0.728 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.048, in 1921.
Senegal ranks 65th of 176 countries on this measure, 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 Senegal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1904 | 0.051 | — |
| 1905 | 0.053 | +3.9% |
| 1906 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.055 | +3.8% |
| 1909 | 0.053 | -3.6% |
| 1910 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.048 | -9.4% |
| 1922 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.055 | +14.6% |
| 1927 | 0.055 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.055 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.055 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.049 | -10.9% |
| 1931 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.056 | +14.3% |
| 1937 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.05 | -10.7% |
| 1941 | 0.05 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.05 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.05 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.05 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.102 | +104.0% |
| 1946 | 0.233 | +128.4% |
| 1947 | 0.233 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.238 | +2.1% |
| 1949 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.244 | +2.5% |
| 1951 | 0.244 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.245 | +0.4% |
| 1953 | 0.238 | -2.9% |
| 1954 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.246 | +3.4% |
| 1958 | 0.246 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.243 | -1.2% |
| 1960 | 0.307 | +26.3% |
| 1961 | 0.393 | +28.0% |
| 1962 | 0.393 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.389 | -1.0% |
| 1964 | 0.326 | -16.2% |
| 1965 | 0.326 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.329 | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.353 | +7.3% |
| 1969 | 0.368 | +4.2% |
| 1970 | 0.38 | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 0.38 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.385 | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 0.369 | -4.2% |
| 1974 | 0.36 | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 0.36 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.368 | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 0.368 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.394 | +7.1% |
| 1979 | 0.398 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 0.417 | +4.8% |
| 1981 | 0.451 | +8.2% |
| 1982 | 0.467 | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 0.489 | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 0.492 | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 0.492 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.492 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.492 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.492 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.492 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.505 | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 0.522 | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 0.53 | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 0.61 | +15.1% |
| 1994 | 0.627 | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 0.635 | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 0.638 | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 0.638 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.641 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 0.642 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.679 | +5.8% |
| 2001 | 0.602 | -11.3% |
| 2002 | 0.685 | +13.8% |
| 2003 | 0.685 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.685 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.685 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.685 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.672 | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.674 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.668 | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 0.684 | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.696 | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 0.722 | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 0.726 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 0.726 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.726 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.701 | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 0.688 | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 0.697 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 0.728 | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 0.714 | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 0.686 | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 0.625 | -8.9% |
| 2024 | 0.605 | -3.2% |
| 2025 | 0.633 | +4.6% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 0.633 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3475, 1.8× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 0.633 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.317, 2.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Key features of democracy in Senegal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | +128.4% | 0.102 | 0.233 |
| 1945 | +104.0% | 0.05 | 0.102 |
| 1961 | +28.0% | 0.307 | 0.393 |
| 1960 | +26.3% | 0.243 | 0.307 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.053 | 0.051 | 0.055 | 6 |
| 1910s | 0.053 | 0.053 | 0.053 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.0513 | 0.048 | 0.055 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0518 | 0.049 | 0.056 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1294 | 0.05 | 0.238 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.242 | 0.238 | 0.246 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.3513 | 0.307 | 0.393 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.3762 | 0.36 | 0.398 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4776 | 0.417 | 0.492 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5988 | 0.505 | 0.642 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.672 | 0.602 | 0.685 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.705 | 0.684 | 0.726 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6652 | 0.605 | 0.728 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
More social development data for Senegal
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 17,259 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,028 (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 0.0007 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,028 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 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 Senegal?
- Key features of democracy in Senegal was 0.633 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 0.728 in 2020.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.048 in 1921.
- How does Senegal rank for key features of democracy?
- Senegal ranks 65th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Senegal 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 — 122 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.