What is key features of democracy in Switzerland?

Key features of democracy in Switzerland was 0.882 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Switzerland?

The highest recorded value was 0.907 in 2012.

What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Switzerland?

The lowest recorded value was 0.178 in 1801.

How does Switzerland rank for key features of democracy?

Switzerland ranks 7th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Switzerland?

Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Switzerland 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.

Key features of democracy in Switzerland

Name: Key features of democracy in Switzerland
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Switzerland: Key features of democracy was 0.882 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.882

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

7th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.907

in 2012

All-time low

0.178

in 1801

Years of data

228

1798–2025

Key features of democracy in Switzerland, 1798–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for key features of democracy in Switzerland is 0.882, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of down 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Switzerland peaked at 0.907 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.178, in 1801.

Switzerland ranks 7th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 228 years of available data.

Key features of democracy in Switzerland, year by year

Annual values for Key features of democracy in Switzerland, 1798 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1798	0.215	—
1799	0.215	+0.0%
1800	0.206	-4.2%
1801	0.178	-13.6%
1802	0.185	+3.9%
1803	0.18	-2.7%
1804	0.178	-1.1%
1805	0.178	+0.0%
1806	0.178	+0.0%
1807	0.178	+0.0%
1808	0.178	+0.0%
1809	0.178	+0.0%
1810	0.178	+0.0%
1811	0.178	+0.0%
1812	0.178	+0.0%
1813	0.178	+0.0%
1814	0.178	+0.0%
1815	0.178	+0.0%
1816	0.178	+0.0%
1817	0.178	+0.0%
1818	0.178	+0.0%
1819	0.178	+0.0%
1820	0.178	+0.0%
1821	0.178	+0.0%
1822	0.178	+0.0%
1823	0.178	+0.0%
1824	0.178	+0.0%
1825	0.178	+0.0%
1826	0.178	+0.0%
1827	0.178	+0.0%
1828	0.178	+0.0%
1829	0.178	+0.0%
1830	0.178	+0.0%
1831	0.213	+19.7%
1832	0.213	+0.0%
1833	0.213	+0.0%
1834	0.213	+0.0%
1835	0.213	+0.0%
1836	0.213	+0.0%
1837	0.213	+0.0%
1838	0.213	+0.0%
1839	0.213	+0.0%
1840	0.213	+0.0%
1841	0.213	+0.0%
1842	0.213	+0.0%
1843	0.213	+0.0%
1844	0.213	+0.0%
1845	0.213	+0.0%
1846	0.213	+0.0%
1847	0.213	+0.0%
1848	0.326	+53.1%
1849	0.543	+66.6%
1850	0.543	+0.0%
1851	0.543	+0.0%
1852	0.543	+0.0%
1853	0.543	+0.0%
1854	0.543	+0.0%
1855	0.543	+0.0%
1856	0.543	+0.0%
1857	0.542	-0.2%
1858	0.54	-0.4%
1859	0.54	+0.0%
1860	0.54	+0.0%
1861	0.541	+0.2%
1862	0.541	+0.0%
1863	0.541	+0.0%
1864	0.542	+0.2%
1865	0.542	+0.0%
1866	0.542	+0.0%
1867	0.542	+0.0%
1868	0.542	+0.0%
1869	0.542	+0.0%
1870	0.543	+0.2%
1871	0.543	+0.0%
1872	0.543	+0.0%
1873	0.542	-0.2%
1874	0.579	+6.8%
1875	0.58	+0.2%
1876	0.581	+0.2%
1877	0.581	+0.0%
1878	0.581	+0.0%
1879	0.58	-0.2%
1880	0.58	+0.0%
1881	0.58	+0.0%
1882	0.582	+0.3%
1883	0.582	+0.0%
1884	0.582	+0.0%
1885	0.58	-0.3%
1886	0.58	+0.0%
1887	0.58	+0.0%
1888	0.58	+0.0%
1889	0.58	+0.0%
1890	0.58	+0.0%
1891	0.58	+0.0%
1892	0.58	+0.0%
1893	0.58	+0.0%
1894	0.581	+0.2%
1895	0.581	+0.0%
1896	0.58	-0.2%
1897	0.578	-0.3%
1898	0.578	+0.0%
1899	0.578	+0.0%
1900	0.586	+1.4%
1901	0.586	+0.0%
1902	0.588	+0.3%
1903	0.596	+1.4%
1904	0.596	+0.0%
1905	0.601	+0.8%
1906	0.599	-0.3%
1907	0.599	+0.0%
1908	0.599	+0.0%
1909	0.599	+0.0%
1910	0.599	+0.0%
1911	0.599	+0.0%
1912	0.597	-0.3%
1913	0.597	+0.0%
1914	0.598	+0.2%
1915	0.596	-0.3%
1916	0.596	+0.0%
1917	0.6	+0.7%
1918	0.601	+0.2%
1919	0.6	-0.2%
1920	0.606	+1.0%
1921	0.606	+0.0%
1922	0.606	+0.0%
1923	0.606	+0.0%
1924	0.606	+0.0%
1925	0.606	+0.0%
1926	0.608	+0.3%
1927	0.608	+0.0%
1928	0.607	-0.2%
1929	0.607	+0.0%
1930	0.607	+0.0%
1931	0.607	+0.0%
1932	0.605	-0.3%
1933	0.605	+0.0%
1934	0.605	+0.0%
1935	0.606	+0.2%
1936	0.609	+0.5%
1937	0.609	+0.0%
1938	0.609	+0.0%
1939	0.606	-0.5%
1940	0.598	-1.3%
1941	0.598	+0.0%
1942	0.598	+0.0%
1943	0.597	-0.2%
1944	0.601	+0.7%
1945	0.605	+0.7%
1946	0.617	+2.0%
1947	0.617	+0.0%
1948	0.617	+0.0%
1949	0.617	+0.0%
1950	0.617	+0.0%
1951	0.617	+0.0%
1952	0.617	+0.0%
1953	0.617	+0.0%
1954	0.617	+0.0%
1955	0.617	+0.0%
1956	0.617	+0.0%
1957	0.617	+0.0%
1958	0.617	+0.0%
1959	0.618	+0.2%
1960	0.621	+0.5%
1961	0.621	+0.0%
1962	0.621	+0.0%
1963	0.621	+0.0%
1964	0.621	+0.0%
1965	0.621	+0.0%
1966	0.621	+0.0%
1967	0.623	+0.3%
1968	0.622	-0.2%
1969	0.622	+0.0%
1970	0.624	+0.3%
1971	0.628	+0.6%
1972	0.855	+36.1%
1973	0.855	+0.0%
1974	0.855	+0.0%
1975	0.859	+0.5%
1976	0.857	-0.2%
1977	0.863	+0.7%
1978	0.863	+0.0%
1979	0.863	+0.0%
1980	0.871	+0.9%
1981	0.871	+0.0%
1982	0.871	+0.0%
1983	0.871	+0.0%
1984	0.871	+0.0%
1985	0.871	+0.0%
1986	0.871	+0.0%
1987	0.871	+0.0%
1988	0.87	-0.1%
1989	0.875	+0.6%
1990	0.887	+1.4%
1991	0.887	+0.0%
1992	0.886	-0.1%
1993	0.886	+0.0%
1994	0.886	+0.0%
1995	0.887	+0.1%
1996	0.89	+0.3%
1997	0.89	+0.0%
1998	0.89	+0.0%
1999	0.89	+0.0%
2000	0.889	-0.1%
2001	0.889	+0.0%
2002	0.889	+0.0%
2003	0.888	-0.1%
2004	0.886	-0.2%
2005	0.886	+0.0%
2006	0.886	+0.0%
2007	0.888	+0.2%
2008	0.895	+0.8%
2009	0.895	+0.0%
2010	0.895	+0.0%
2011	0.897	+0.2%
2012	0.907	+1.1%
2013	0.907	+0.0%
2014	0.907	+0.0%
2015	0.903	-0.4%
2016	0.902	-0.1%
2017	0.902	+0.0%
2018	0.902	+0.0%
2019	0.902	+0.0%
2020	0.902	+0.0%
2021	0.896	-0.7%
2022	0.893	-0.3%
2023	0.884	-1.0%
2024	0.882	-0.2%
2025	0.882	+0.0%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

Switzerland's 0.882 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.786, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Switzerland's 0.882 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.737, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1790s	0.215	0.215	0.215	2
1800s	0.1817	0.178	0.206	10
1810s	0.178	0.178	0.178	10
1820s	0.178	0.178	0.178	10
1830s	0.2095	0.178	0.213	10
1840s	0.2573	0.213	0.543	10
1850s	0.5423	0.54	0.543	10
1860s	0.5415	0.54	0.542	10
1870s	0.5653	0.542	0.581	10
1880s	0.5806	0.58	0.582	10
1890s	0.5796	0.578	0.581	10
1900s	0.5949	0.586	0.601	10
1910s	0.5983	0.596	0.601	10
1920s	0.6066	0.606	0.608	10
1930s	0.6068	0.605	0.609	10
1940s	0.6065	0.597	0.617	10
1950s	0.6171	0.617	0.618	10
1960s	0.6214	0.621	0.623	10
1970s	0.8122	0.624	0.863	10
1980s	0.8713	0.87	0.875	10
1990s	0.8879	0.886	0.89	10
2000s	0.8891	0.886	0.895	10
2010s	0.9024	0.895	0.907	10
2020s	0.8898	0.882	0.902	6

Countries ranked near Switzerland

5 Estonia 0.887 compare
5 Ireland 0.887 compare
8 Luxembourg 0.869 compare
9 France 0.865 compare
10 Costa Rica 0.862 compare
10 Uruguay 0.862 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Switzerland

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 208,287 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6 (2025)
Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0229 units per person (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is key features of democracy in Switzerland?: Key features of democracy in Switzerland was 0.882 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Switzerland?: The highest recorded value was 0.907 in 2012.
What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Switzerland?: The lowest recorded value was 0.178 in 1801.
How does Switzerland rank for key features of democracy?: Switzerland ranks 7th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Switzerland?: Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland 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.

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Key features of democracy in Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 October 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/key-features-of-democracy/switzerland/

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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: 18 September 2026

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.