Key features of liberal democracy in Canada

Canada: Key features of liberal democracy was 0.736 in 2025. β–² Rising

Latest (2025)
0.736
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
23rd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.769
in 2017
All-time low
0.281
in 1861
Years of data
185
1841–2025

Key features of liberal democracy in Canada, 1841–2025

00.20.40.60.8184119332025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 20 Latvia 0.751 compare
  2. 21 Spain 0.741 compare
  3. 22 South Korea 0.739 compare
  4. 24 Japan 0.734 compare
  5. 25 Iceland 0.72 compare
  6. 26 Portugal 0.717 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places β†’

More social development data for Canada

All data for Canada β†’

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) – 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) – 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

Indicator
Key features of liberal democracy
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 28,671 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

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.