Liberal Democracy Index in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.689 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.689
Change on year
down 8.1%
World rank
30th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.811
in 2018
All-time low
0.229
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025
Liberal Democracy Index in United Kingdom, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 0.689 for liberal democracy index in 2025.
The figure is down 8.1% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in United Kingdom peaked at 0.811 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.229, in 1789.
That places United Kingdom 30th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.
Liberal Democracy Index in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1789 | 0.229 | — |
| 1790 | 0.239 | +4.4% |
| 1791 | 0.244 | +2.1% |
| 1792 | 0.243 | -0.4% |
| 1793 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1794 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1795 | 0.242 | -0.4% |
| 1796 | 0.248 | +2.5% |
| 1797 | 0.246 | -0.8% |
| 1798 | 0.246 | +0.0% |
| 1799 | 0.246 | +0.0% |
| 1800 | 0.246 | +0.0% |
| 1801 | 0.249 | +1.2% |
| 1802 | 0.249 | +0.0% |
| 1803 | 0.247 | -0.8% |
| 1804 | 0.247 | +0.0% |
| 1805 | 0.247 | +0.0% |
| 1806 | 0.249 | +0.8% |
| 1807 | 0.249 | +0.0% |
| 1808 | 0.246 | -1.2% |
| 1809 | 0.246 | +0.0% |
| 1810 | 0.249 | +1.2% |
| 1811 | 0.247 | -0.8% |
| 1812 | 0.249 | +0.8% |
| 1813 | 0.247 | -0.8% |
| 1814 | 0.247 | +0.0% |
| 1815 | 0.247 | +0.0% |
| 1816 | 0.245 | -0.8% |
| 1817 | 0.245 | +0.0% |
| 1818 | 0.247 | +0.8% |
| 1819 | 0.242 | -2.0% |
| 1820 | 0.245 | +1.2% |
| 1821 | 0.243 | -0.8% |
| 1822 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1823 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1824 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1825 | 0.25 | +2.9% |
| 1826 | 0.255 | +2.0% |
| 1827 | 0.252 | -1.2% |
| 1828 | 0.252 | +0.0% |
| 1829 | 0.251 | -0.4% |
| 1830 | 0.261 | +4.0% |
| 1831 | 0.261 | +0.0% |
| 1832 | 0.265 | +1.5% |
| 1833 | 0.272 | +2.6% |
| 1834 | 0.275 | +1.1% |
| 1835 | 0.285 | +3.6% |
| 1836 | 0.282 | -1.1% |
| 1837 | 0.285 | +1.1% |
| 1838 | 0.283 | -0.7% |
| 1839 | 0.286 | +1.1% |
| 1840 | 0.289 | +1.0% |
| 1841 | 0.292 | +1.0% |
| 1842 | 0.289 | -1.0% |
| 1843 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1844 | 0.29 | +0.3% |
| 1845 | 0.29 | +0.0% |
| 1846 | 0.29 | +0.0% |
| 1847 | 0.294 | +1.4% |
| 1848 | 0.291 | -1.0% |
| 1849 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 0.292 | +0.3% |
| 1851 | 0.293 | +0.3% |
| 1852 | 0.296 | +1.0% |
| 1853 | 0.292 | -1.4% |
| 1854 | 0.292 | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 0.292 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 0.292 | +0.0% |
| 1857 | 0.295 | +1.0% |
| 1858 | 0.293 | -0.7% |
| 1859 | 0.296 | +1.0% |
| 1860 | 0.293 | -1.0% |
| 1861 | 0.298 | +1.7% |
| 1862 | 0.298 | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 0.298 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 0.298 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 0.305 | +2.3% |
| 1866 | 0.305 | +0.0% |
| 1867 | 0.314 | +3.0% |
| 1868 | 0.318 | +1.3% |
| 1869 | 0.314 | -1.3% |
| 1870 | 0.318 | +1.3% |
| 1871 | 0.319 | +0.3% |
| 1872 | 0.319 | +0.0% |
| 1873 | 0.321 | +0.6% |
| 1874 | 0.33 | +2.8% |
| 1875 | 0.328 | -0.6% |
| 1876 | 0.328 | +0.0% |
| 1877 | 0.328 | +0.0% |
| 1878 | 0.328 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 0.328 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.339 | +3.4% |
| 1881 | 0.339 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 0.339 | +0.0% |
| 1883 | 0.348 | +2.7% |
| 1884 | 0.368 | +5.7% |
| 1885 | 0.37 | +0.5% |
| 1886 | 0.386 | +4.3% |
| 1887 | 0.388 | +0.5% |
| 1888 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1891 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1892 | 0.393 | +1.3% |
| 1893 | 0.402 | +2.3% |
| 1894 | 0.402 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.399 | -0.7% |
| 1896 | 0.402 | +0.8% |
| 1897 | 0.402 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 0.405 | +0.7% |
| 1899 | 0.405 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.412 | +1.7% |
| 1901 | 0.416 | +1.0% |
| 1902 | 0.416 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.416 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.416 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.416 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.415 | -0.2% |
| 1907 | 0.415 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.415 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.415 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.416 | +0.2% |
| 1911 | 0.417 | +0.2% |
| 1912 | 0.417 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.417 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.406 | -2.6% |
| 1915 | 0.405 | -0.2% |
| 1916 | 0.403 | -0.5% |
| 1917 | 0.403 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.403 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.585 | +45.2% |
| 1920 | 0.594 | +1.5% |
| 1921 | 0.594 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.596 | +0.3% |
| 1923 | 0.607 | +1.8% |
| 1924 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.604 | -0.5% |
| 1926 | 0.605 | +0.2% |
| 1927 | 0.605 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.607 | +0.3% |
| 1929 | 0.611 | +0.7% |
| 1930 | 0.614 | +0.5% |
| 1931 | 0.607 | -1.1% |
| 1932 | 0.613 | +1.0% |
| 1933 | 0.613 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.613 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.612 | -0.2% |
| 1936 | 0.612 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.612 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.612 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.585 | -4.4% |
| 1940 | 0.584 | -0.2% |
| 1941 | 0.584 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.584 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.584 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.584 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.596 | +2.1% |
| 1946 | 0.679 | +13.9% |
| 1947 | 0.682 | +0.4% |
| 1948 | 0.682 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.682 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.699 | +2.5% |
| 1951 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.698 | -0.1% |
| 1953 | 0.698 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.698 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.695 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | 0.693 | -0.3% |
| 1957 | 0.693 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.693 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.694 | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 0.698 | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 0.699 | +0.1% |
| 1962 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.714 | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 0.729 | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 0.728 | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 0.731 | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 0.721 | -1.4% |
| 1969 | 0.722 | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 0.729 | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 0.734 | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 0.734 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.734 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.741 | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 0.742 | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 0.742 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.742 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.742 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.732 | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 0.719 | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 0.726 | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 0.726 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.724 | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 0.723 | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 0.723 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.723 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.724 | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 0.726 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 0.726 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.742 | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 0.742 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.742 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.747 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 0.751 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.746 | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 0.749 | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 0.77 | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 0.785 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 0.792 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 0.793 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.793 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.793 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.8 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 0.807 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.802 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 0.801 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.804 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 0.796 | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 0.794 | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.788 | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 0.787 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.801 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.811 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 0.787 | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 0.8 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 0.781 | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 0.768 | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 0.771 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 0.75 | -2.7% |
| 2025 | 0.689 | -8.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.689 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.689, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.689 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.591, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Liberal Democracy Index in United Kingdom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | +45.2% | 0.403 | 0.585 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.229 | 0.229 | 0.229 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.244 | 0.239 | 0.248 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.2475 | 0.246 | 0.249 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.2465 | 0.242 | 0.249 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.2477 | 0.243 | 0.255 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.2755 | 0.261 | 0.286 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.2905 | 0.289 | 0.294 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.2933 | 0.292 | 0.296 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.3041 | 0.293 | 0.318 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.3247 | 0.318 | 0.33 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.3653 | 0.339 | 0.388 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.3986 | 0.388 | 0.405 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.4152 | 0.412 | 0.416 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.4272 | 0.403 | 0.585 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.603 | 0.594 | 0.611 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.6093 | 0.585 | 0.614 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.6241 | 0.584 | 0.682 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.696 | 0.693 | 0.699 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.714 | 0.698 | 0.731 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7372 | 0.729 | 0.742 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.724 | 0.719 | 0.726 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7491 | 0.742 | 0.77 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7984 | 0.785 | 0.807 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7971 | 0.787 | 0.811 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7598 | 0.689 | 0.8 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0084 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 United Kingdom?
- Liberal democracy index in United Kingdom was 0.689 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 0.811 in 2018.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.229 in 1789.
- How does United Kingdom rank for liberal democracy index?
- United Kingdom ranks 30th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.