Liberal Democracy Index in France
France: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.8 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Liberal Democracy Index in France, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
France recorded 0.8 for liberal democracy index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in France peaked at 0.822 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.059, in 1944.
France ranks 9th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 | 0.219 | 0.219 | 0.219 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.2049 | 0.163 | 0.225 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.1028 | 0.101 | 0.103 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.1349 | 0.099 | 0.169 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.162 | 0.154 | 0.165 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.195 | 0.195 | 0.195 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.2282 | 0.195 | 0.384 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.1754 | 0.145 | 0.384 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.1649 | 0.149 | 0.173 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.3718 | 0.242 | 0.44 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.4481 | 0.447 | 0.449 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.4477 | 0.444 | 0.454 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.4608 | 0.456 | 0.463 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.441 | 0.419 | 0.467 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.4635 | 0.462 | 0.465 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.4576 | 0.441 | 0.462 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2644 | 0.059 | 0.621 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.6242 | 0.601 | 0.63 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.6629 | 0.633 | 0.719 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7638 | 0.748 | 0.773 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7914 | 0.773 | 0.802 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8002 | 0.798 | 0.803 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8044 | 0.798 | 0.816 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8133 | 0.793 | 0.822 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7987 | 0.789 | 0.807 | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
More social development data for France
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 788,419 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 166 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Liberal democracy 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.917 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.597 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.917 (2025)
- Key features of electoral democracy 0.865 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is liberal democracy index in France?
- Liberal democracy index in France was 0.8 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 0.822 in 2013.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.059 in 1944.
- How does France rank for liberal democracy index?
- France ranks 9th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this France 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
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.