Liberal Democracy Index in Laos

Laos: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.11 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.11
Change on year
down 6.0%
World rank
135th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.164
in 1958
All-time low
0.059
in 1940
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Liberal Democracy Index in Laos, 1900–2025

00.050.10.15190019622025

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

Analysis

Laos recorded 0.11 for liberal democracy index in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.0% on the previous year and up 23.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in Laos peaked at 0.164 in 1958 and was at its lowest, 0.059, in 1940.

Laos ranks 135th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.065 0.065 0.065 10
1910s 0.065 0.065 0.065 10
1920s 0.065 0.065 0.065 10
1930s 0.065 0.065 0.065 10
1940s 0.0809 0.059 0.128 10
1950s 0.1368 0.125 0.164 10
1960s 0.1252 0.11 0.145 10
1970s 0.0991 0.068 0.13 10
1980s 0.0712 0.068 0.091 10
1990s 0.0871 0.083 0.092 10
2000s 0.0884 0.088 0.089 10
2010s 0.0916 0.088 0.109 10
2020s 0.1073 0.094 0.117 6

Countries ranked near Laos

  1. 134 Cameroon 0.114 compare
  2. 135 Turkey 0.11 compare
  3. 137 Burkina Faso 0.103 compare
  4. 137 Iran 0.103 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Laos

All data for Laos →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy index in Laos?
Liberal democracy index in Laos was 0.11 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Laos?
The highest recorded value was 0.164 in 1958.
What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Laos?
The lowest recorded value was 0.059 in 1940.
How does Laos rank for liberal democracy index?
Laos ranks 135th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Laos?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Laos 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 — 126 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

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.