What is participatory democracy index in Canada?

Participatory democracy index in Canada was 0.589 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest participatory democracy index recorded in Canada?

The highest recorded value was 0.611 in 1996.

What is the lowest participatory democracy index recorded in Canada?

The lowest recorded value was 0.22 in 1864.

How does Canada rank for participatory democracy index?

Canada ranks 16th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is participatory democracy index rising or falling in Canada?

Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Canada data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Participatory Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Participatory Democracy Index in Canada

Name: Participatory Democracy Index in Canada
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Canada: Participatory Democracy Index was 0.589 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.589

Change on year

up 1.0%

World rank

16th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.611

in 1996

All-time low

0.22

in 1864

Years of data

185

1841–2025

Participatory Democracy Index in Canada, 1841–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for participatory democracy index in Canada is 0.589, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, participatory democracy index in Canada peaked at 0.611 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.22, in 1864.

That places Canada 16th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 185 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1840s	0.2232	0.222	0.224	9
1850s	0.2223	0.221	0.223	10
1860s	0.2326	0.22	0.269	10
1870s	0.2716	0.268	0.285	10
1880s	0.2879	0.285	0.293	10
1890s	0.3005	0.293	0.308	10
1900s	0.3094	0.304	0.311	10
1910s	0.3024	0.285	0.311	10
1920s	0.4215	0.315	0.444	10
1930s	0.4413	0.431	0.461	10
1940s	0.4571	0.436	0.485	10
1950s	0.5106	0.506	0.514	10
1960s	0.5587	0.533	0.565	10
1970s	0.5688	0.564	0.578	10
1980s	0.5738	0.571	0.576	10
1990s	0.5964	0.574	0.611	10
2000s	0.5706	0.562	0.589	10
2010s	0.5643	0.549	0.591	10
2020s	0.5873	0.583	0.59	6

Countries ranked near Canada

14 Latvia 0.595 compare
15 Germany 0.593 compare
17 Austria 0.582 compare
18 New Zealand 0.581 compare
19 Chile 0.574 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Canada

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 416,028 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 360 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Key features of liberal democracy 0.736 (2025)
Varieties of democracy 0.84 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.933 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.865 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.84 (2025)
Liberal democracy 2 (2025)

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is participatory democracy index in Canada?: Participatory democracy index in Canada was 0.589 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest participatory democracy index recorded in Canada?: The highest recorded value was 0.611 in 1996.
What is the lowest participatory democracy index recorded in Canada?: The lowest recorded value was 0.22 in 1864.
How does Canada rank for participatory democracy index?: Canada ranks 16th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is participatory democracy index rising or falling in Canada?: Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Participatory Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 185 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Participatory Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,363 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, as well as the extent to which citizens can engage in regional and local government, civil society organizations, and direct democracy.