Liberal Democracy Index in Germany

Germany: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.782 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.782
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
15th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.864
in 2006
All-time low
0.011
in 1939
Years of data
191
1789–2025

Liberal Democracy Index in Germany, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.8178919072025

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

Analysis

Germany recorded 0.782 for liberal democracy index in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in Germany peaked at 0.864 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.011, in 1939.

That places Germany 15th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Liberal Democracy Index in Germany, year by year

Annual values for Liberal Democracy Index in Germany, 1789 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1789 0.063
1790 0.063 +0.0%
1791 0.063 +0.0%
1792 0.063 +0.0%
1793 0.063 +0.0%
1794 0.063 +0.0%
1795 0.063 +0.0%
1796 0.063 +0.0%
1797 0.063 +0.0%
1798 0.063 +0.0%
1799 0.063 +0.0%
1800 0.063 +0.0%
1801 0.063 +0.0%
1802 0.063 +0.0%
1803 0.063 +0.0%
1804 0.063 +0.0%
1805 0.063 +0.0%
1806 0.063 +0.0%
1807 0.063 +0.0%
1808 0.066 +4.8%
1809 0.068 +3.0%
1810 0.068 +0.0%
1811 0.068 +0.0%
1812 0.068 +0.0%
1813 0.068 +0.0%
1814 0.068 +0.0%
1815 0.069 +1.5%
1816 0.069 +0.0%
1817 0.069 +0.0%
1818 0.069 +0.0%
1819 0.069 +0.0%
1820 0.069 +0.0%
1821 0.069 +0.0%
1822 0.069 +0.0%
1823 0.069 +0.0%
1824 0.069 +0.0%
1825 0.069 +0.0%
1826 0.069 +0.0%
1827 0.069 +0.0%
1828 0.069 +0.0%
1829 0.069 +0.0%
1830 0.069 +0.0%
1831 0.069 +0.0%
1832 0.069 +0.0%
1833 0.069 +0.0%
1834 0.069 +0.0%
1835 0.069 +0.0%
1836 0.069 +0.0%
1837 0.069 +0.0%
1838 0.069 +0.0%
1839 0.069 +0.0%
1840 0.069 +0.0%
1841 0.069 +0.0%
1842 0.069 +0.0%
1843 0.069 +0.0%
1844 0.069 +0.0%
1845 0.069 +0.0%
1846 0.069 +0.0%
1847 0.069 +0.0%
1848 0.13 +88.4%
1849 0.138 +6.2%
1850 0.135 -2.2%
1851 0.135 +0.0%
1852 0.135 +0.0%
1853 0.135 +0.0%
1854 0.135 +0.0%
1855 0.135 +0.0%
1856 0.135 +0.0%
1857 0.135 +0.0%
1858 0.135 +0.0%
1859 0.135 +0.0%
1860 0.135 +0.0%
1861 0.167 +23.7%
1862 0.167 +0.0%
1863 0.167 +0.0%
1864 0.167 +0.0%
1865 0.167 +0.0%
1866 0.167 +0.0%
1867 0.178 +6.6%
1868 0.181 +1.7%
1869 0.182 +0.6%
1870 0.182 +0.0%
1871 0.218 +19.8%
1872 0.218 +0.0%
1873 0.218 +0.0%
1874 0.218 +0.0%
1875 0.218 +0.0%
1876 0.218 +0.0%
1877 0.219 +0.5%
1878 0.218 -0.5%
1879 0.218 +0.0%
1880 0.218 +0.0%
1881 0.218 +0.0%
1882 0.218 +0.0%
1883 0.218 +0.0%
1884 0.218 +0.0%
1885 0.219 +0.5%
1886 0.219 +0.0%
1887 0.218 -0.5%
1888 0.218 +0.0%
1889 0.218 +0.0%
1890 0.22 +0.9%
1891 0.221 +0.5%
1892 0.221 +0.0%
1893 0.221 +0.0%
1894 0.221 +0.0%
1895 0.221 +0.0%
1896 0.221 +0.0%
1897 0.221 +0.0%
1898 0.221 +0.0%
1899 0.221 +0.0%
1900 0.223 +0.9%
1901 0.224 +0.4%
1902 0.223 -0.4%
1903 0.227 +1.8%
1904 0.23 +1.3%
1905 0.23 +0.0%
1906 0.229 -0.4%
1907 0.23 +0.4%
1908 0.229 -0.4%
1909 0.23 +0.4%
1910 0.23 +0.0%
1911 0.23 +0.0%
1912 0.23 +0.0%
1913 0.23 +0.0%
1914 0.219 -4.8%
1915 0.215 -1.8%
1916 0.214 -0.5%
1917 0.215 +0.5%
1918 0.224 +4.2%
1919 0.456 +103.6%
1920 0.506 +11.0%
1921 0.515 +1.8%
1922 0.511 -0.8%
1923 0.503 -1.6%
1924 0.491 -2.4%
1925 0.482 -1.8%
1926 0.49 +1.7%
1927 0.49 +0.0%
1928 0.487 -0.6%
1929 0.488 +0.2%
1930 0.471 -3.5%
1931 0.457 -3.0%
1932 0.434 -5.0%
1933 0.059 -86.4%
1934 0.017 -71.2%
1935 0.013 -23.5%
1936 0.014 +7.7%
1937 0.013 -7.1%
1938 0.014 +7.7%
1939 0.011 -21.4%
1940 0.011 +0.0%
1941 0.011 +0.0%
1942 0.011 +0.0%
1943 0.011 +0.0%
1944 0.011 +0.0%
1991 0.853 +7654.5%
1992 0.853 +0.0%
1993 0.853 +0.0%
1994 0.853 +0.0%
1995 0.853 +0.0%
1996 0.854 +0.1%
1997 0.854 +0.0%
1998 0.856 +0.2%
1999 0.86 +0.5%
2000 0.86 +0.0%
2001 0.86 +0.0%
2002 0.859 -0.1%
2003 0.857 -0.2%
2004 0.857 +0.0%
2005 0.859 +0.2%
2006 0.864 +0.6%
2007 0.864 +0.0%
2008 0.864 +0.0%
2009 0.862 -0.2%
2010 0.862 +0.0%
2011 0.864 +0.2%
2012 0.863 -0.1%
2013 0.853 -1.2%
2014 0.845 -0.9%
2015 0.845 +0.0%
2016 0.848 +0.4%
2017 0.842 -0.7%
2018 0.834 -1.0%
2019 0.831 -0.4%
2020 0.821 -1.2%
2021 0.814 -0.9%
2022 0.806 -1.0%
2023 0.812 +0.7%
2024 0.778 -4.2%
2025 0.782 +0.5%

Germany compared with similar countries

  • Germany's 0.782 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.689, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Germany's 0.782 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.591, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.063 0.063 0.063 1
1790s 0.063 0.063 0.063 10
1800s 0.0638 0.063 0.068 10
1810s 0.0685 0.068 0.069 10
1820s 0.069 0.069 0.069 10
1830s 0.069 0.069 0.069 10
1840s 0.082 0.069 0.138 10
1850s 0.135 0.135 0.135 10
1860s 0.1678 0.135 0.182 10
1870s 0.2145 0.182 0.219 10
1880s 0.2182 0.218 0.219 10
1890s 0.2209 0.22 0.221 10
1900s 0.2275 0.223 0.23 10
1910s 0.2463 0.214 0.456 10
1920s 0.4963 0.482 0.515 10
1930s 0.1503 0.011 0.471 10
1940s 0.011 0.011 0.011 5
1990s 0.8543 0.853 0.86 9
2000s 0.8606 0.857 0.864 10
2010s 0.8487 0.831 0.864 10
2020s 0.8022 0.778 0.821 6

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 12 Australia 0.793 compare
  2. 13 Uruguay 0.79 compare
  3. 14 New Zealand 0.787 compare
  4. 16 Chile 0.781 compare
  5. 17 Luxembourg 0.777 compare
  6. 18 Netherlands 0.774 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy index in Germany?
Liberal democracy index in Germany was 0.782 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 0.864 in 2006.
What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 0.011 in 1939.
How does Germany rank for liberal democracy index?
Germany ranks 15th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Germany 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.

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Liberal Democracy Index in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/liberal-democracy-index/germany/

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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

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.