Key features of electoral democracy in Rwanda
Rwanda: Key features of electoral democracy was 0.193 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.193
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
137th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.29
in 1992
All-time low
0.016
in 1916
Years of data
110
1916–2025
Key features of electoral democracy in Rwanda, 1916–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of electoral democracy in Rwanda stood at 0.193.
The figure is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of electoral democracy in Rwanda peaked at 0.29 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 0.016, in 1916.
That places Rwanda 137th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Key features of electoral democracy in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1916 | 0.016 | — |
| 1917 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.016 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.047 | +193.8% |
| 1956 | 0.051 | +8.5% |
| 1957 | 0.062 | +21.6% |
| 1958 | 0.072 | +16.1% |
| 1959 | 0.076 | +5.6% |
| 1960 | 0.086 | +13.2% |
| 1961 | 0.148 | +72.1% |
| 1962 | 0.263 | +77.7% |
| 1963 | 0.252 | -4.2% |
| 1964 | 0.245 | -2.8% |
| 1965 | 0.238 | -2.9% |
| 1966 | 0.235 | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 0.235 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.235 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.239 | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 0.238 | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.165 | -30.7% |
| 1974 | 0.09 | -45.5% |
| 1975 | 0.088 | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 0.09 | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 0.09 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.093 | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 0.167 | +79.6% |
| 1980 | 0.165 | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 0.165 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.207 | +25.5% |
| 1983 | 0.207 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.204 | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 0.204 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.204 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.204 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.207 | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 0.21 | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 0.217 | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 0.256 | +18.0% |
| 1992 | 0.29 | +13.3% |
| 1993 | 0.187 | -35.5% |
| 1994 | 0.143 | -23.5% |
| 1995 | 0.104 | -27.3% |
| 1996 | 0.107 | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.106 | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 0.107 | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 0.114 | +6.5% |
| 2001 | 0.114 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.115 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.143 | +24.3% |
| 2004 | 0.198 | +38.5% |
| 2005 | 0.196 | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 0.197 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 0.197 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.203 | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 0.22 | +8.4% |
| 2010 | 0.217 | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 0.216 | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 0.22 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 0.221 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 0.226 | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 0.226 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.226 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.222 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.226 | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 0.227 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.227 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.226 | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 0.219 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 0.212 | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 0.201 | -5.2% |
| 2025 | 0.193 | -4.0% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 0.193 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.227, 85% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 0.193 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.317, 61% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Key features of electoral democracy in Rwanda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | +193.8% | 0.016 | 0.047 |
| 1979 | +79.6% | 0.093 | 0.167 |
| 1962 | +77.7% | 0.148 | 0.263 |
| 1961 | +72.1% | 0.086 | 0.148 |
| 1974 | -45.5% | 0.165 | 0.09 |
| 2004 | +38.5% | 0.143 | 0.198 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 4 |
| 1920s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0388 | 0.016 | 0.076 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2176 | 0.086 | 0.263 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1497 | 0.088 | 0.238 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1977 | 0.165 | 0.21 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1624 | 0.104 | 0.29 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1697 | 0.114 | 0.22 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2227 | 0.216 | 0.227 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.213 | 0.193 | 0.227 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More social development data for Rwanda
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 115,794 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 244,415 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0168 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 244,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0079 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 electoral democracy in Rwanda?
- Key features of electoral democracy in Rwanda was 0.193 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of electoral democracy recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 0.29 in 1992.
- What is the lowest key features of electoral democracy recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.016 in 1916.
- How does Rwanda rank for key features of electoral democracy?
- Rwanda ranks 137th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of electoral democracy rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key features of electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 110 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.