Liberal democracy in Ireland
Ireland: Liberal democracy was 3 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Liberal democracy in Ireland, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for liberal democracy in Ireland is 3, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy in Ireland peaked at 3 in 1924 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
Ireland ranks 1st of 176 regions 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1800s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1810s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1820s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1830s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1840s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1850s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1860s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1870s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1880s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1890s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.3 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1930s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1940s | 3 | 3 | 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 Ireland
- 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 France 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 Ireland
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 137,869 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 69 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Varieties of democracy 0.887 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.822 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.956 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.956 (2025)
- Key features of electoral democracy 0.887 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is liberal democracy in Ireland?
- Liberal democracy in Ireland was 3 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 3 in 1924.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does Ireland rank for liberal democracy?
- Ireland ranks 1st out of 176 regions with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland 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.