Key features of democracy in Spain
Spain: Key features of democracy was 0.822 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Key features of democracy in Spain, 1789–2025
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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More social development data for Spain
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 511,079 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 186 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Public Sector Corruption Index 0.069 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.843 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.915 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.822 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.572 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.741 (2025)
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
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.