Liberal democracy in France
France: Liberal democracy was 3 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Liberal democracy in France, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
France recorded 3 for liberal democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy in France peaked at 3 in 1947 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
France ranks 1st of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.7 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.2 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1870s | 1.6 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1880s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1890s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1900s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1910s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1920s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1930s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.9 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1950s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
- 1 Australia 3 compare
- 1 Austria 3 compare
- 1 Barbados 3 compare
- 1 Belgium 3 compare
- 1 Chile 3 compare
- 1 Costa Rica 3 compare
- 1 Cyprus 3 compare
- 1 Czechia 3 compare
- 1 Denmark 3 compare
- 1 Estonia 3 compare
- 1 Finland 3 compare
- 1 Germany 3 compare
- 1 Iceland 3 compare
- 1 Italy 3 compare
- 1 Japan 3 compare
- 1 Latvia 3 compare
- 1 Lithuania 3 compare
- 1 Netherlands 3 compare
- 1 New Zealand 3 compare
- 1 Norway 3 compare
- 1 Seychelles 3 compare
- 1 South Korea 3 compare
- 1 Spain 3 compare
- 1 Sweden 3 compare
- 1 Switzerland 3 compare
- 1 Taiwan 3 compare
- 1 Trinidad and Tobago 3 compare
- 1 Uruguay 3 compare
More social development data for France
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 788,419 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 166 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Varieties of democracy 0.865 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.8 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.917 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.917 (2025)
- Key features of electoral democracy 0.865 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is liberal democracy in France?
- Liberal democracy in France was 3 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 3 in 1947.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does France rank for liberal democracy?
- France ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this France 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
Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.