Statizoid

Liberal Democracy Index in Iran

Iran: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.103 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.103
Change on year
up 17.0%
World rank
137th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.162
in 2000
All-time low
0.008
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Liberal Democracy Index in Iran, 1900–2025

00.050.10.15190019622025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for liberal democracy index in Iran is 0.103, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of up 17.0% on the previous year and down 24.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in Iran peaked at 0.162 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.008, in 1900.

Iran ranks 137th 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.

Liberal Democracy Index in Iran, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.008 —
1901 0.008 +0.0%
1902 0.008 +0.0%
1903 0.008 +0.0%
1904 0.008 +0.0%
1905 0.008 +0.0%
1906 0.028 +250.0%
1907 0.063 +125.0%
1908 0.042 -33.3%
1909 0.025 -40.5%
1910 0.065 +160.0%
1911 0.067 +3.1%
1912 0.024 -64.2%
1913 0.024 +0.0%
1914 0.027 +12.5%
1915 0.062 +129.6%
1916 0.024 -61.3%
1917 0.024 +0.0%
1918 0.024 +0.0%
1919 0.024 +0.0%
1920 0.024 +0.0%
1921 0.02 -16.7%
1922 0.058 +190.0%
1923 0.054 -6.9%
1924 0.053 -1.9%
1925 0.033 -37.7%
1926 0.029 -12.1%
1927 0.037 +27.6%
1928 0.037 +0.0%
1929 0.037 +0.0%
1930 0.037 +0.0%
1931 0.037 +0.0%
1932 0.037 +0.0%
1933 0.036 -2.7%
1934 0.04 +11.1%
1935 0.04 +0.0%
1936 0.04 +0.0%
1937 0.04 +0.0%
1938 0.04 +0.0%
1939 0.04 +0.0%
1940 0.04 +0.0%
1941 0.05 +25.0%
1942 0.084 +68.0%
1943 0.085 +1.2%
1944 0.091 +7.1%
1945 0.101 +11.0%
1946 0.1 -1.0%
1947 0.1 +0.0%
1948 0.1 +0.0%
1949 0.1 +0.0%
1950 0.116 +16.0%
1951 0.125 +7.8%
1952 0.13 +4.0%
1953 0.09 -30.8%
1954 0.062 -31.1%
1955 0.073 +17.7%
1956 0.064 -12.3%
1957 0.064 +0.0%
1958 0.064 +0.0%
1959 0.065 +1.6%
1960 0.066 +1.5%
1961 0.068 +3.0%
1962 0.071 +4.4%
1963 0.072 +1.4%
1964 0.081 +12.5%
1965 0.081 +0.0%
1966 0.081 +0.0%
1967 0.081 +0.0%
1968 0.083 +2.5%
1969 0.083 +0.0%
1970 0.083 +0.0%
1971 0.083 +0.0%
1972 0.083 +0.0%
1973 0.083 +0.0%
1974 0.083 +0.0%
1975 0.081 -2.4%
1976 0.081 +0.0%
1977 0.081 +0.0%
1978 0.082 +1.2%
1979 0.077 -6.1%
1980 0.088 +14.3%
1981 0.094 +6.8%
1982 0.09 -4.3%
1983 0.085 -5.6%
1984 0.089 +4.7%
1985 0.09 +1.1%
1986 0.09 +0.0%
1987 0.103 +14.4%
1988 0.104 +1.0%
1989 0.108 +3.8%
1990 0.111 +2.8%
1991 0.111 +0.0%
1992 0.108 -2.7%
1993 0.118 +9.3%
1994 0.12 +1.7%
1995 0.12 +0.0%
1996 0.123 +2.5%
1997 0.149 +21.1%
1998 0.159 +6.7%
1999 0.16 +0.6%
2000 0.162 +1.3%
2001 0.154 -4.9%
2002 0.153 -0.6%
2003 0.153 +0.0%
2004 0.143 -6.5%
2005 0.128 -10.5%
2006 0.126 -1.6%
2007 0.127 +0.8%
2008 0.125 -1.6%
2009 0.122 -2.4%
2010 0.117 -4.1%
2011 0.118 +0.9%
2012 0.121 +2.5%
2013 0.129 +6.6%
2014 0.131 +1.6%
2015 0.136 +3.8%
2016 0.137 +0.7%
2017 0.134 -2.2%
2018 0.131 -2.2%
2019 0.126 -3.8%
2020 0.119 -5.6%
2021 0.091 -23.5%
2022 0.078 -14.3%
2023 0.077 -1.3%
2024 0.088 +14.3%
2025 0.103 +17.0%

Iran compared with similar countries

  • Iran's 0.103 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.347, 30% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
  • Iran's 0.103 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.118, 87% of the median. (23 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Liberal Democracy Index in Iran changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1906 +250.0% 0.008 0.028
1922 +190.0% 0.02 0.058
1910 +160.0% 0.025 0.065
1915 +129.6% 0.027 0.062
1907 +125.0% 0.028 0.063
1942 +68.0% 0.05 0.084

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.0206 0.008 0.063 10
1910s 0.0365 0.024 0.067 10
1920s 0.0382 0.02 0.058 10
1930s 0.0387 0.036 0.04 10
1940s 0.0851 0.04 0.101 10
1950s 0.0853 0.062 0.13 10
1960s 0.0767 0.066 0.083 10
1970s 0.0817 0.077 0.083 10
1980s 0.0941 0.085 0.108 10
1990s 0.1279 0.108 0.16 10
2000s 0.1393 0.122 0.162 10
2010s 0.128 0.117 0.137 10
2020s 0.0927 0.077 0.119 6

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 134 Cameroon 0.114 compare
  2. 135 Laos 0.11 compare
  3. 135 Turkey 0.11 compare
  4. 137 Burkina Faso 0.103 compare
  5. 139 Central African Republic 0.102 compare
  6. 139 Vietnam 0.102 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy index in Iran?
Liberal democracy index in Iran was 0.103 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 0.162 in 2000.
What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 0.008 in 1900.
How does Iran rank for liberal democracy index?
Iran ranks 137th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran 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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CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Relationships involving this indicator

Comparisons with other indicators across countries. Each was re-measured with population and national income held constant, so a relationship that only reflected country size is not listed here.

All correlations →

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Liberal Democracy Index in Iran. 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/iran-islamic-rep/

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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.