What is liberal democracy index in China?

Liberal democracy index in China was 0.039 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in China?

The highest recorded value was 0.09 in 1948.

What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in China?

The lowest recorded value was 0.012 in 1851.

How does China rank for liberal democracy index?

China ranks 167th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in China?

Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this China data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Liberal Democracy Index in China

Name: Liberal Democracy Index in China
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

China: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.039 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.039

Change on year

up 5.4%

World rank

167th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.09

in 1948

All-time low

0.012

in 1851

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Liberal Democracy Index in China, 1789–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, liberal democracy index in China stood at 0.039.

That represents a change of up 5.4% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in China peaked at 0.09 in 1948 and was at its lowest, 0.012, in 1851.

China ranks 167th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom 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	0.013	0.013	0.013	1
1790s	0.013	0.013	0.013	10
1800s	0.013	0.013	0.013	10
1810s	0.013	0.013	0.013	10
1820s	0.013	0.013	0.013	10
1830s	0.013	0.013	0.013	10
1840s	0.013	0.013	0.013	10
1850s	0.0121	0.012	0.013	10
1860s	0.0132	0.012	0.014	10
1870s	0.014	0.014	0.014	10
1880s	0.014	0.014	0.014	10
1890s	0.0137	0.013	0.015	10
1900s	0.0237	0.023	0.025	10
1910s	0.0553	0.026	0.081	10
1920s	0.0555	0.048	0.076	10
1930s	0.0507	0.05	0.051	10
1940s	0.0563	0.049	0.09	10
1950s	0.0348	0.029	0.04	10
1960s	0.0365	0.035	0.037	10
1970s	0.0392	0.036	0.06	10
1980s	0.0668	0.066	0.067	10
1990s	0.0673	0.065	0.07	10
2000s	0.0646	0.057	0.074	10
2010s	0.0525	0.047	0.057	10
2020s	0.0402	0.037	0.044	6

Countries ranked near China

164 Tajikistan 0.043 compare
164 Yemen 0.043 compare
166 Venezuela 0.042 compare
168 Belarus 0.038 compare
169 Sudan 0.034 compare
169 Turkmenistan 0.034 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for China

Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 230 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 153,962 (2025)
Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
Liberal democracy 0 (2025)
Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.179 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.036 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.179 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.072 (2025)

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy index in China?: Liberal democracy index in China was 0.039 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in China?: The highest recorded value was 0.09 in 1948.
What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in China?: The lowest recorded value was 0.012 in 1851.
How does China rank for liberal democracy index?: China ranks 167th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in China?: Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Liberal Democracy Index. 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).

About this data

Indicator: Liberal Democracy Index
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: 07 August 2026

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.