Key features of liberal democracy in Canada
Canada: Key features of liberal democracy was 0.736 in 2025. β² Rising
Key features of liberal democracy in Canada, 1841β2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) β processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of liberal democracy in Canada stood at 0.736.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of liberal democracy in Canada peaked at 0.769 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.281, in 1861.
That places Canada 23rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 185 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1840s | 0.2846 | 0.283 | 0.286 | 9 |
| 1850s | 0.283 | 0.282 | 0.284 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.2946 | 0.281 | 0.335 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.3561 | 0.335 | 0.385 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.3871 | 0.385 | 0.392 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.4025 | 0.392 | 0.412 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.4134 | 0.407 | 0.417 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.4055 | 0.381 | 0.417 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.5346 | 0.401 | 0.562 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.5565 | 0.541 | 0.581 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.5771 | 0.548 | 0.628 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.6599 | 0.654 | 0.666 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.724 | 0.688 | 0.734 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7422 | 0.735 | 0.75 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7524 | 0.746 | 0.757 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7571 | 0.75 | 0.765 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7524 | 0.746 | 0.759 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7509 | 0.735 | 0.769 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7435 | 0.736 | 0.749 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More social development data for Canada
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 416,028 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 360 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.84 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.933 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.865 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.84 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.589 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.736 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of liberal democracy in Canada?
- Key features of liberal democracy in Canada was 0.736 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 0.769 in 2017.
- What is the lowest key features of liberal democracy recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.281 in 1861.
- How does Canada rank for key features of liberal democracy?
- Canada ranks 23rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of liberal democracy rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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 185 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.