Statizoid

Liberal democracy in China

China: Liberal democracy was 0 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0
World rank
142nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
1
in 1918
All-time low
0
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Liberal democracy in China, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, liberal democracy in China stood at 0. That is the lowest value across all 237 years on record.

Over the whole period, liberal democracy in China peaked at 1 in 1918 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.

That places China 142nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0 0 0 1
1790s 0 0 0 10
1800s 0 0 0 10
1810s 0 0 0 10
1820s 0 0 0 10
1830s 0 0 0 10
1840s 0 0 0 10
1850s 0 0 0 10
1860s 0 0 0 10
1870s 0 0 0 10
1880s 0 0 0 10
1890s 0 0 0 10
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0.2 0 1 10
1920s 0.1 0 1 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0 0 0 10
1950s 0 0 0 10
1960s 0 0 0 10
1970s 0 0 0 10
1980s 0 0 0 10
1990s 0 0 0 10
2000s 0 0 0 10
2010s 0 0 0 10
2020s 0 0 0 6

Countries ranked near China

  1. 142 Afghanistan 0 compare
  2. 142 Bahrain 0 compare
  3. 142 Bangladesh 0 compare
  4. 142 Belarus 0 compare
  5. 142 Burkina Faso 0 compare
  6. 142 Cuba 0 compare
  7. 142 Eritrea 0 compare
  8. 142 Eswatini 0 compare
  9. 142 Guinea 0 compare
  10. 142 Guinea-Bissau 0 compare
  11. 142 Haiti 0 compare
  12. 142 Hong Kong 0 compare
  13. 142 Jordan 0 compare
  14. 142 Kuwait 0 compare
  15. 142 Laos 0 compare
  16. 142 Libya 0 compare
  17. 142 Madagascar 0 compare
  18. 142 Mali 0 compare
  19. 142 Morocco 0 compare
  20. 142 Myanmar 0 compare
  21. 142 Niger 0 compare
  22. 142 North Korea 0 compare
  23. 142 Oman 0 compare
  24. 142 Palestine 0 compare
  25. 142 Qatar 0 compare
  26. 142 Saudi Arabia 0 compare
  27. 142 Somalia 0 compare
  28. 142 South Sudan 0 compare
  29. 142 Sudan 0 compare
  30. 142 Syria 0 compare
  31. 142 United Arab Emirates 0 compare
  32. 142 Vatican 0 compare
  33. 142 Vietnam 0 compare
  34. 142 Yemen 0 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy in China?
Liberal democracy in China was 0 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1918.
What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
How does China rank for liberal democracy?
China ranks 142nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Liberal democracy. 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

Indicator
Liberal democracy
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,594 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.