Liberal Democracy Index in Uganda
Uganda: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.165 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.165
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
116th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.246
in 2007
All-time low
0.017
in 1973
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Liberal Democracy Index in Uganda, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for liberal democracy index in Uganda is 0.165, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 25.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in Uganda peaked at 0.246 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.017, in 1973.
That places Uganda 116th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Liberal Democracy Index in Uganda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.057 | — |
| 1901 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.056 | -1.8% |
| 1909 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.057 | +1.8% |
| 1914 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.099 | +73.7% |
| 1922 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.1 | +1.0% |
| 1947 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.102 | +2.0% |
| 1952 | 0.106 | +3.9% |
| 1953 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.107 | +0.9% |
| 1955 | 0.108 | +0.9% |
| 1956 | 0.112 | +3.7% |
| 1957 | 0.112 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.13 | +16.1% |
| 1959 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.133 | +2.3% |
| 1961 | 0.136 | +2.3% |
| 1962 | 0.159 | +16.9% |
| 1963 | 0.227 | +42.8% |
| 1964 | 0.225 | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 0.225 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.149 | -33.8% |
| 1967 | 0.1 | -32.9% |
| 1968 | 0.103 | +3.0% |
| 1969 | 0.098 | -4.9% |
| 1970 | 0.096 | -2.0% |
| 1971 | 0.035 | -63.5% |
| 1972 | 0.021 | -40.0% |
| 1973 | 0.017 | -19.0% |
| 1974 | 0.017 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.017 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.017 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.017 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.017 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.017 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.043 | +152.9% |
| 1981 | 0.098 | +127.9% |
| 1982 | 0.097 | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 0.093 | -4.1% |
| 1984 | 0.093 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.069 | -25.8% |
| 1986 | 0.107 | +55.1% |
| 1987 | 0.138 | +29.0% |
| 1988 | 0.14 | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 0.15 | +7.1% |
| 1990 | 0.161 | +7.3% |
| 1991 | 0.189 | +17.4% |
| 1992 | 0.19 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 0.195 | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 0.206 | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 0.225 | +9.2% |
| 1996 | 0.241 | +7.1% |
| 1997 | 0.239 | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.236 | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 0.222 | -5.9% |
| 2002 | 0.214 | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 0.212 | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 0.216 | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 0.231 | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 0.243 | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 0.246 | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 0.243 | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 0.241 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 0.238 | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.233 | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 0.232 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 0.23 | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.226 | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 0.222 | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 0.205 | -7.7% |
| 2017 | 0.201 | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 0.194 | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 0.193 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.192 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 0.18 | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 0.185 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 0.179 | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 0.168 | -6.1% |
| 2025 | 0.165 | -1.8% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 0.165 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.102, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 0.165 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.17, 97% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Liberal Democracy Index in Uganda 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +152.9% | 0.017 | 0.043 |
| 1981 | +127.9% | 0.043 | 0.098 |
| 1921 | +73.7% | 0.057 | 0.099 |
| 1971 | -63.5% | 0.096 | 0.035 |
| 1986 | +55.1% | 0.069 | 0.107 |
| 1963 | +42.8% | 0.159 | 0.227 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0568 | 0.056 | 0.057 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.0567 | 0.056 | 0.057 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.0948 | 0.057 | 0.099 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.099 | 0.099 | 0.099 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0994 | 0.099 | 0.1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1113 | 0.1 | 0.13 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1555 | 0.098 | 0.227 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0271 | 0.017 | 0.096 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1028 | 0.043 | 0.15 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2124 | 0.161 | 0.241 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2304 | 0.212 | 0.246 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2174 | 0.193 | 0.238 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1782 | 0.165 | 0.192 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More social development data for Uganda
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.94 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 12,792 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 12,792 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0377 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is liberal democracy index in Uganda?
- Liberal democracy index in Uganda was 0.165 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 0.246 in 2007.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.017 in 1973.
- How does Uganda rank for liberal democracy index?
- Uganda ranks 116th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uganda 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
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.