Key features of liberal democracy in Australia
Australia: Key features of liberal democracy was 0.793 in 2025. β² Rising
Key features of liberal democracy in Australia, 1789β2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) β processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of liberal democracy in Australia stood at 0.793.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of liberal democracy in Australia peaked at 0.858 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.084, in 1793.
Australia ranks 12th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 235 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.087 | 0.087 | 0.087 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.0865 | 0.084 | 0.087 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.087 | 0.087 | 0.087 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.09 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.1546 | 0.092 | 0.199 | 9 |
| 1830s | 0.199 | 0.199 | 0.199 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.2596 | 0.199 | 0.281 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.3549 | 0.292 | 0.508 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.5086 | 0.508 | 0.509 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.5085 | 0.508 | 0.509 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.5085 | 0.506 | 0.51 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.5067 | 0.503 | 0.509 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.6856 | 0.581 | 0.707 | 9 |
| 1910s | 0.6788 | 0.641 | 0.7 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.7198 | 0.718 | 0.721 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.7189 | 0.686 | 0.723 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.7072 | 0.661 | 0.743 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.7639 | 0.742 | 0.777 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.7835 | 0.775 | 0.79 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.8122 | 0.805 | 0.82 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8395 | 0.829 | 0.844 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8471 | 0.841 | 0.851 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8418 | 0.838 | 0.849 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8289 | 0.779 | 0.858 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7923 | 0.779 | 0.802 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More social development data for Australia
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 41 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.844 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.915 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.876 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.844 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.648 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.793 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of liberal democracy in Australia?
- Key features of liberal democracy in Australia was 0.793 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) β processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of liberal democracy recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.858 in 2012.
- What is the lowest key features of liberal democracy recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.084 in 1793.
- How does Australia rank for key features of liberal democracy?
- Australia ranks 12th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of liberal democracy rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) β processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 235 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.