Liberal democracy in Italy

Italy: Liberal democracy was 3 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 176 countries
All-time high
3
in 1970
All-time low
0
in 1815
Years of data
211
1815–2025

Liberal democracy in Italy, 1815–2025

0123181519202025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for liberal democracy in Italy is 3, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 211 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, liberal democracy in Italy peaked at 3 in 1970 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1815.

Italy 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1810s 0 0 0 5
1820s 0 0 0 10
1830s 0 0 0 10
1840s 0 0 0 10
1850s 0 0 0 10
1860s 0.5 0 1 10
1870s 1 1 1 10
1880s 1 1 1 10
1890s 1 1 1 10
1900s 1 1 1 10
1910s 1 1 1 10
1920s 0.4 0 1 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0.7 0 2 10
1950s 2 2 2 10
1960s 2 2 2 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 Italy

  1. 1 Australia 3 compare
  2. 1 Austria 3 compare
  3. 1 Barbados 3 compare
  4. 1 Belgium 3 compare
  5. 1 Chile 3 compare
  6. 1 Costa Rica 3 compare
  7. 1 Cyprus 3 compare
  8. 1 Czechia 3 compare
  9. 1 Denmark 3 compare
  10. 1 Estonia 3 compare
  11. 1 Finland 3 compare
  12. 1 France 3 compare
  13. 1 Germany 3 compare
  14. 1 Iceland 3 compare
  15. 1 Japan 3 compare
  16. 1 Latvia 3 compare
  17. 1 Lithuania 3 compare
  18. 1 Netherlands 3 compare
  19. 1 New Zealand 3 compare
  20. 1 Norway 3 compare
  21. 1 Seychelles 3 compare
  22. 1 South Korea 3 compare
  23. 1 Spain 3 compare
  24. 1 Sweden 3 compare
  25. 1 Switzerland 3 compare
  26. 1 Taiwan 3 compare
  27. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 3 compare
  28. 1 Uruguay 3 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy in Italy?
Liberal democracy in Italy was 3 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 3 in 1970.
What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1815.
How does Italy rank for liberal democracy?
Italy ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal democracy rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Italy 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 — 211 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.