Key features of democracy in Spain

Spain: Key features of democracy was 0.822 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.822
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
22nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.894
in 1997
All-time low
0.019
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Key features of democracy in Spain, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.8178919072025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Spain recorded 0.822 for key features of democracy in 2025.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Spain peaked at 0.894 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.019, in 1789.

Spain ranks 22nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.019 0.019 0.019 1
1790s 0.019 0.019 0.019 10
1800s 0.0278 0.019 0.069 10
1810s 0.0603 0.033 0.121 10
1820s 0.0912 0.038 0.18 10
1830s 0.0898 0.038 0.16 10
1840s 0.1313 0.119 0.177 10
1850s 0.128 0.119 0.144 10
1860s 0.145 0.125 0.268 10
1870s 0.2047 0.137 0.268 10
1880s 0.1557 0.141 0.159 10
1890s 0.1823 0.159 0.186 10
1900s 0.1827 0.181 0.185 10
1910s 0.1794 0.178 0.181 10
1920s 0.0994 0.061 0.18 10
1930s 0.3925 0.063 0.559 10
1940s 0.0691 0.069 0.07 10
1950s 0.0691 0.069 0.07 10
1960s 0.0797 0.07 0.104 10
1970s 0.2838 0.104 0.859 10
1980s 0.8845 0.867 0.891 10
1990s 0.8927 0.892 0.894 10
2000s 0.8837 0.875 0.893 10
2010s 0.868 0.835 0.893 10
2020s 0.8475 0.822 0.874 6

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 19 Latvia 0.834 compare
  2. 20 Netherlands 0.832 compare
  3. 21 Germany 0.828 compare
  4. 22 Portugal 0.822 compare
  5. 24 Japan 0.819 compare
  6. 24 South Korea 0.819 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is key features of democracy in Spain?
Key features of democracy in Spain was 0.822 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 0.894 in 1997.
What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 0.019 in 1789.
How does Spain rank for key features of democracy?
Spain ranks 22nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Spain 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

Indicator
Key features of democracy
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

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.