Key features of liberal democracy in Japan
Japan: Key features of liberal democracy was 0.734 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.734
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
24th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.779
in 2009
All-time low
0.016
in 1790
Years of data
237
1789–2025
Key features of liberal democracy in Japan, 1789–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for key features of liberal democracy in Japan is 0.734, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of liberal democracy in Japan peaked at 0.779 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.016, in 1790.
That places Japan 24th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.019 | 0.019 | 0.019 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.0178 | 0.017 | 0.019 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.0211 | 0.019 | 0.039 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.0937 | 0.079 | 0.109 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.1092 | 0.109 | 0.111 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.1796 | 0.167 | 0.186 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.1965 | 0.195 | 0.197 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.2015 | 0.197 | 0.206 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.21 | 0.206 | 0.215 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.2044 | 0.193 | 0.213 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2457 | 0.177 | 0.364 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.637 | 0.365 | 0.748 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.7499 | 0.749 | 0.751 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7505 | 0.749 | 0.753 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7521 | 0.751 | 0.754 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7567 | 0.754 | 0.76 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7674 | 0.762 | 0.779 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7542 | 0.739 | 0.778 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7387 | 0.734 | 0.745 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More social development data for Japan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 42,450 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 56 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 1 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.925 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.734 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.819 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.924 (2025)
- Freedom of expression index 0.847 (2025)
- Participatory democracy index 0.526 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of liberal democracy in Japan?
- Key features of liberal democracy in Japan was 0.734 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of liberal democracy recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.779 in 2009.
- What is the lowest key features of liberal democracy recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.016 in 1790.
- How does Japan rank for key features of liberal democracy?
- Japan ranks 24th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of liberal democracy rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from 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 · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).