Key features of democracy in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Key features of democracy was 0.729 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.729
Change on year
down 8.9%
World rank
49th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.82
in 2023
All-time low
0.073
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key features of democracy in Vanuatu, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of democracy in Vanuatu stood at 0.729.
That represents a change of down 8.9% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Vanuatu peaked at 0.82 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.073, in 1900.
Vanuatu ranks 49th 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 Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.073 | — |
| 1901 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.074 | +1.4% |
| 1910 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.077 | +4.1% |
| 1931 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.08 | +3.9% |
| 1941 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.083 | +3.8% |
| 1955 | 0.08 | -3.6% |
| 1956 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.081 | +1.3% |
| 1959 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.154 | +90.1% |
| 1971 | 0.166 | +7.8% |
| 1972 | 0.166 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.166 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.166 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.24 | +44.6% |
| 1976 | 0.306 | +27.5% |
| 1977 | 0.316 | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 0.415 | +31.3% |
| 1979 | 0.474 | +14.2% |
| 1980 | 0.699 | +47.5% |
| 1981 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.698 | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 0.69 | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 0.69 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.697 | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 0.687 | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 0.615 | -10.5% |
| 1993 | 0.615 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.615 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.616 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 0.618 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 0.618 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.617 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 0.617 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.619 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.619 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.62 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 0.615 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.611 | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 0.611 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.611 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.653 | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 0.737 | +12.9% |
| 2010 | 0.737 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.737 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.738 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.745 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.745 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.747 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.771 | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 0.793 | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 0.79 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.779 | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 0.78 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 0.8 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 0.804 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.82 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 0.8 | -2.4% |
| 2025 | 0.729 | -8.9% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 0.729 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3475, 2.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 0.729 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.4645, 1.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0731 | 0.073 | 0.074 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.074 | 0.074 | 0.074 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.074 | 0.074 | 0.074 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.077 | 0.077 | 0.077 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0805 | 0.08 | 0.083 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.081 | 0.081 | 0.081 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2569 | 0.154 | 0.474 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6971 | 0.69 | 0.699 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6315 | 0.615 | 0.697 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6315 | 0.611 | 0.737 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7582 | 0.737 | 0.793 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7888 | 0.729 | 0.82 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
- 46 Dominican Republic 0.735 compare
- 46 United States 0.735 compare
- 48 Slovakia 0.733 compare
- 50 Panama 0.728 compare
- 51 Ghana 0.711 compare
- 52 Solomon Islands 0.696 compare
More social development data for Vanuatu
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of democracy in Vanuatu?
- Key features of democracy in Vanuatu was 0.729 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 0.82 in 2023.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.073 in 1900.
- How does Vanuatu rank for key features of democracy?
- Vanuatu ranks 49th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Vanuatu 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 — 126 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.