What is participatory democracy index in Estonia?

Participatory democracy index in Estonia was 0.621 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest participatory democracy index recorded in Estonia?

The highest recorded value was 0.649 in 2018.

What is the lowest participatory democracy index recorded in Estonia?

The lowest recorded value was 0.019 in 1940.

How does Estonia rank for participatory democracy index?

Estonia ranks 9th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is participatory democracy index rising or falling in Estonia?

Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Estonia 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 Estonia

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

Estonia: Participatory Democracy Index was 0.621 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.621

Change on year

down 0.6%

World rank

9th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.649

in 2018

All-time low

0.019

in 1940

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Participatory Democracy Index in Estonia, 1789–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, participatory democracy index in Estonia stood at 0.621.

That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, participatory democracy index in Estonia peaked at 0.649 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.019, in 1940.

Estonia ranks 9th 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.

Participatory Democracy Index in Estonia, year by year

Annual values for Participatory Democracy Index in Estonia, 1789 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1789	0.023	—
1790	0.022	-4.3%
1791	0.022	+0.0%
1792	0.022	+0.0%
1793	0.022	+0.0%
1794	0.022	+0.0%
1795	0.022	+0.0%
1796	0.022	+0.0%
1797	0.022	+0.0%
1798	0.022	+0.0%
1799	0.022	+0.0%
1800	0.022	+0.0%
1801	0.022	+0.0%
1802	0.022	+0.0%
1803	0.022	+0.0%
1804	0.022	+0.0%
1805	0.022	+0.0%
1806	0.022	+0.0%
1807	0.022	+0.0%
1808	0.022	+0.0%
1809	0.022	+0.0%
1810	0.022	+0.0%
1811	0.022	+0.0%
1812	0.022	+0.0%
1813	0.022	+0.0%
1814	0.022	+0.0%
1815	0.022	+0.0%
1816	0.022	+0.0%
1817	0.022	+0.0%
1818	0.022	+0.0%
1819	0.022	+0.0%
1820	0.022	+0.0%
1821	0.022	+0.0%
1822	0.022	+0.0%
1823	0.022	+0.0%
1824	0.022	+0.0%
1825	0.022	+0.0%
1826	0.022	+0.0%
1827	0.022	+0.0%
1828	0.022	+0.0%
1829	0.022	+0.0%
1830	0.022	+0.0%
1831	0.022	+0.0%
1832	0.022	+0.0%
1833	0.022	+0.0%
1834	0.022	+0.0%
1835	0.022	+0.0%
1836	0.022	+0.0%
1837	0.022	+0.0%
1838	0.022	+0.0%
1839	0.022	+0.0%
1840	0.022	+0.0%
1841	0.022	+0.0%
1842	0.022	+0.0%
1843	0.022	+0.0%
1844	0.022	+0.0%
1845	0.022	+0.0%
1846	0.022	+0.0%
1847	0.022	+0.0%
1848	0.022	+0.0%
1849	0.022	+0.0%
1850	0.022	+0.0%
1851	0.022	+0.0%
1852	0.022	+0.0%
1853	0.022	+0.0%
1854	0.022	+0.0%
1855	0.023	+4.5%
1856	0.023	+0.0%
1857	0.023	+0.0%
1858	0.023	+0.0%
1859	0.023	+0.0%
1860	0.048	+108.7%
1861	0.071	+47.9%
1862	0.076	+7.0%
1863	0.076	+0.0%
1864	0.076	+0.0%
1865	0.077	+1.3%
1866	0.077	+0.0%
1867	0.077	+0.0%
1868	0.077	+0.0%
1869	0.077	+0.0%
1870	0.077	+0.0%
1871	0.076	-1.3%
1872	0.077	+1.3%
1873	0.077	+0.0%
1874	0.077	+0.0%
1875	0.077	+0.0%
1876	0.077	+0.0%
1877	0.077	+0.0%
1878	0.077	+0.0%
1879	0.077	+0.0%
1880	0.077	+0.0%
1881	0.077	+0.0%
1882	0.077	+0.0%
1883	0.077	+0.0%
1884	0.077	+0.0%
1885	0.077	+0.0%
1886	0.077	+0.0%
1887	0.077	+0.0%
1888	0.077	+0.0%
1889	0.077	+0.0%
1890	0.03	-61.0%
1891	0.03	+0.0%
1892	0.03	+0.0%
1893	0.03	+0.0%
1894	0.03	+0.0%
1895	0.03	+0.0%
1896	0.03	+0.0%
1897	0.03	+0.0%
1898	0.03	+0.0%
1899	0.03	+0.0%
1900	0.028	-6.7%
1901	0.028	+0.0%
1902	0.028	+0.0%
1903	0.028	+0.0%
1904	0.031	+10.7%
1905	0.035	+12.9%
1906	0.042	+20.0%
1907	0.043	+2.4%
1908	0.042	-2.3%
1909	0.042	+0.0%
1910	0.042	+0.0%
1911	0.042	+0.0%
1912	0.042	+0.0%
1913	0.042	+0.0%
1914	0.042	+0.0%
1915	0.042	+0.0%
1916	0.042	+0.0%
1917	0.037	-11.9%
1918	0.204	+451.4%
1919	0.331	+62.3%
1920	0.408	+23.3%
1921	0.457	+12.0%
1922	0.45	-1.5%
1923	0.468	+4.0%
1924	0.442	-5.6%
1925	0.439	-0.7%
1926	0.461	+5.0%
1927	0.467	+1.3%
1928	0.467	+0.0%
1929	0.467	+0.0%
1930	0.464	-0.6%
1931	0.468	+0.9%
1932	0.462	-1.3%
1933	0.42	-9.1%
1934	0.245	-41.7%
1935	0.141	-42.4%
1936	0.151	+7.1%
1937	0.141	-6.6%
1938	0.172	+22.0%
1939	0.184	+7.0%
1940	0.019	-89.7%
1941	0.019	+0.0%
1942	0.019	+0.0%
1943	0.019	+0.0%
1944	0.019	+0.0%
1945	0.019	+0.0%
1946	0.02	+5.3%
1947	0.02	+0.0%
1948	0.02	+0.0%
1949	0.02	+0.0%
1950	0.02	+0.0%
1951	0.02	+0.0%
1952	0.02	+0.0%
1953	0.02	+0.0%
1954	0.02	+0.0%
1955	0.02	+0.0%
1956	0.02	+0.0%
1957	0.02	+0.0%
1958	0.02	+0.0%
1959	0.02	+0.0%
1960	0.02	+0.0%
1961	0.02	+0.0%
1962	0.019	-5.0%
1963	0.063	+231.6%
1964	0.063	+0.0%
1965	0.062	-1.6%
1966	0.062	+0.0%
1967	0.062	+0.0%
1968	0.062	+0.0%
1969	0.062	+0.0%
1970	0.062	+0.0%
1971	0.063	+1.6%
1972	0.063	+0.0%
1973	0.063	+0.0%
1974	0.063	+0.0%
1975	0.064	+1.6%
1976	0.064	+0.0%
1977	0.065	+1.6%
1978	0.065	+0.0%
1979	0.065	+0.0%
1980	0.065	+0.0%
1981	0.065	+0.0%
1982	0.065	+0.0%
1983	0.065	+0.0%
1984	0.064	-1.5%
1985	0.065	+1.6%
1986	0.07	+7.7%
1987	0.08	+14.3%
1988	0.081	+1.3%
1989	0.089	+9.9%
1990	0.502	+464.0%
1991	0.437	-12.9%
1992	0.357	-18.3%
1993	0.63	+76.5%
1994	0.622	-1.3%
1995	0.622	+0.0%
1996	0.62	-0.3%
1997	0.617	-0.5%
1998	0.614	-0.5%
1999	0.613	-0.2%
2000	0.61	-0.5%
2001	0.608	-0.3%
2002	0.604	-0.7%
2003	0.641	+6.1%
2004	0.641	+0.0%
2005	0.639	-0.3%
2006	0.636	-0.5%
2007	0.633	-0.5%
2008	0.637	+0.6%
2009	0.634	-0.5%
2010	0.64	+0.9%
2011	0.637	-0.5%
2012	0.635	-0.3%
2013	0.63	-0.8%
2014	0.631	+0.2%
2015	0.633	+0.3%
2016	0.648	+2.4%
2017	0.644	-0.6%
2018	0.649	+0.8%
2019	0.638	-1.7%
2020	0.635	-0.5%
2021	0.639	+0.6%
2022	0.63	-1.4%
2023	0.625	-0.8%
2024	0.625	+0.0%
2025	0.621	-0.6%

Estonia compared with similar countries

Estonia's 0.621 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.529, 1.2× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Estonia's 0.621 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.4995, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.023	0.023	0.023	1
1790s	0.022	0.022	0.022	10
1800s	0.022	0.022	0.022	10
1810s	0.022	0.022	0.022	10
1820s	0.022	0.022	0.022	10
1830s	0.022	0.022	0.022	10
1840s	0.022	0.022	0.022	10
1850s	0.0225	0.022	0.023	10
1860s	0.0732	0.048	0.077	10
1870s	0.0769	0.076	0.077	10
1880s	0.077	0.077	0.077	10
1890s	0.03	0.03	0.03	10
1900s	0.0347	0.028	0.043	10
1910s	0.0866	0.037	0.331	10
1920s	0.4526	0.408	0.468	10
1930s	0.2848	0.141	0.468	10
1940s	0.0194	0.019	0.02	10
1950s	0.02	0.02	0.02	10
1960s	0.0495	0.019	0.063	10
1970s	0.0637	0.062	0.065	10
1980s	0.0709	0.064	0.089	10
1990s	0.5634	0.357	0.63	10
2000s	0.6283	0.604	0.641	10
2010s	0.6385	0.63	0.649	10
2020s	0.6292	0.621	0.639	6

Countries ranked near Estonia

6 Norway 0.638 compare
7 Sweden 0.635 compare
8 Belgium 0.633 compare
10 Ireland 0.619 compare
11 Costa Rica 0.606 compare
12 Finland 0.597 compare
12 France 0.597 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Estonia

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41,299 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 86 (2025)
Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 86 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0302 units per person (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)

All data for Estonia →

Frequently asked questions

What is participatory democracy index in Estonia?: Participatory democracy index in Estonia was 0.621 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest participatory democracy index recorded in Estonia?: The highest recorded value was 0.649 in 2018.
What is the lowest participatory democracy index recorded in Estonia?: The lowest recorded value was 0.019 in 1940.
How does Estonia rank for participatory democracy index?: Estonia ranks 9th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is participatory democracy index rising or falling in Estonia?: Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Estonia 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.

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Participatory Democracy Index in Estonia. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/participatory-democracy-index/estonia/

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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: 18 September 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.