Liberal democracy in Romania
Romania: Liberal democracy was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Liberal democracy in Romania, 1831–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, liberal democracy in Romania stood at 2. That is the highest value across all 195 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy in Romania peaked at 2 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1831.
Romania ranks 32nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Liberal democracy in Romania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1831 | 0 | — |
| 1832 | 0 | — |
| 1833 | 0 | — |
| 1834 | 0 | — |
| 1835 | 0 | — |
| 1836 | 0 | — |
| 1837 | 0 | — |
| 1838 | 0 | — |
| 1839 | 0 | — |
| 1840 | 0 | — |
| 1841 | 0 | — |
| 1842 | 0 | — |
| 1843 | 0 | — |
| 1844 | 0 | — |
| 1845 | 0 | — |
| 1846 | 0 | — |
| 1847 | 0 | — |
| 1848 | 0 | — |
| 1849 | 0 | — |
| 1850 | 0 | — |
| 1851 | 0 | — |
| 1852 | 0 | — |
| 1853 | 0 | — |
| 1854 | 0 | — |
| 1855 | 0 | — |
| 1856 | 0 | — |
| 1857 | 0 | — |
| 1858 | 0 | — |
| 1859 | 0 | — |
| 1860 | 0 | — |
| 1861 | 0 | — |
| 1862 | 0 | — |
| 1863 | 0 | — |
| 1864 | 0 | — |
| 1865 | 0 | — |
| 1866 | 0 | — |
| 1867 | 0 | — |
| 1868 | 0 | — |
| 1869 | 0 | — |
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1871 | 0 | — |
| 1872 | 0 | — |
| 1873 | 0 | — |
| 1874 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1876 | 0 | — |
| 1877 | 0 | — |
| 1878 | 0 | — |
| 1879 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1881 | 0 | — |
| 1882 | 0 | — |
| 1883 | 0 | — |
| 1884 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1886 | 0 | — |
| 1887 | 0 | — |
| 1888 | 0 | — |
| 1889 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | — |
| 1891 | 0 | — |
| 1892 | 0 | — |
| 1893 | 0 | — |
| 1894 | 0 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | — |
| 1896 | 0 | — |
| 1897 | 0 | — |
| 1898 | 0 | — |
| 1899 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 0 | — |
| 1947 | 0 | — |
| 1948 | 0 | — |
| 1949 | 0 | — |
| 1950 | 0 | — |
| 1951 | 0 | — |
| 1952 | 0 | — |
| 1953 | 0 | — |
| 1954 | 0 | — |
| 1955 | 0 | — |
| 1956 | 0 | — |
| 1957 | 0 | — |
| 1958 | 0 | — |
| 1959 | 0 | — |
| 1960 | 0 | — |
| 1961 | 1 | — |
| 1962 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 2 | — |
| 1991 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2 | +0.0% |
Romania compared with similar countries
- Romania's 2 is below the median for high income countries, which is 3, 67% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Romania's 2 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 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 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Romania
- 32 Argentina 2 compare
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- 32 Kenya 2 compare
- 32 Lesotho 2 compare
- 32 Liberia 2 compare
- 32 Malawi 2 compare
- 32 Malaysia 2 compare
- 32 Maldives 2 compare
- 32 Malta 2 compare
- 32 Mauritius 2 compare
- 32 Moldova 2 compare
- 32 Mongolia 2 compare
- 32 Montenegro 2 compare
- 32 Namibia 2 compare
- 32 Nepal 2 compare
- 32 Nigeria 2 compare
- 32 North Macedonia 2 compare
- 32 Panama 2 compare
- 32 Paraguay 2 compare
- 32 Peru 2 compare
- 32 Poland 2 compare
- 32 Portugal 2 compare
- 32 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 32 Senegal 2 compare
- 32 Slovakia 2 compare
- 32 Slovenia 2 compare
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More social development data for Romania
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 206,671 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,130 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,130 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0109 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 in Romania?
- Liberal democracy in Romania was 2 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1990.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1831.
- How does Romania rank for liberal democracy?
- Romania ranks 32nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Romania 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.
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About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.