Liberal democracy in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Liberal democracy was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Liberal democracy in Sri Lanka, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for liberal democracy in Sri Lanka is 2, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy in Sri Lanka peaked at 2 in 1948 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Sri Lanka 32nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.3 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 32 Argentina 2 compare
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- 32 Gambia 2 compare
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- 32 Liberia 2 compare
- 32 Malawi 2 compare
- 32 Malaysia 2 compare
- 32 Maldives 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
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More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 148,369 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Varieties of democracy 0.783 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.613 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.816 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.816 (2025)
- Key features of electoral democracy 0.783 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is liberal democracy in Sri Lanka?
- Liberal democracy in Sri Lanka was 2 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1948.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for liberal democracy?
- Sri Lanka ranks 32nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 126 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.