Participatory Democracy Index in Uruguay
Uruguay: Participatory Democracy Index was 0.716 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.716
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
2nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.777
in 2013
All-time low
0.03
in 1825
Years of data
201
1825–2025
Participatory Democracy Index in Uruguay, 1825–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, participatory democracy index in Uruguay stood at 0.716.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participatory democracy index in Uruguay peaked at 0.777 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.03, in 1825.
That places Uruguay 2nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Participatory Democracy Index in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1825 | 0.03 | — |
| 1826 | 0.03 | +0.0% |
| 1827 | 0.03 | +0.0% |
| 1828 | 0.037 | +23.3% |
| 1829 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1830 | 0.037 | +0.0% |
| 1831 | 0.05 | +35.1% |
| 1832 | 0.05 | +0.0% |
| 1833 | 0.051 | +2.0% |
| 1834 | 0.056 | +9.8% |
| 1835 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1836 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1837 | 0.059 | +5.4% |
| 1838 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1839 | 0.058 | -1.7% |
| 1840 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1841 | 0.057 | -1.7% |
| 1842 | 0.056 | -1.8% |
| 1843 | 0.055 | -1.8% |
| 1844 | 0.056 | +1.8% |
| 1845 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1846 | 0.057 | +1.8% |
| 1847 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1848 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1849 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 0.06 | +5.3% |
| 1851 | 0.065 | +8.3% |
| 1852 | 0.067 | +3.1% |
| 1853 | 0.061 | -9.0% |
| 1854 | 0.061 | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 0.06 | -1.6% |
| 1856 | 0.061 | +1.7% |
| 1857 | 0.064 | +4.9% |
| 1858 | 0.065 | +1.6% |
| 1859 | 0.064 | -1.5% |
| 1860 | 0.075 | +17.2% |
| 1861 | 0.077 | +2.7% |
| 1862 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 0.061 | -20.8% |
| 1866 | 0.059 | -3.3% |
| 1867 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1868 | 0.074 | +25.4% |
| 1869 | 0.075 | +1.4% |
| 1870 | 0.074 | -1.3% |
| 1871 | 0.09 | +21.6% |
| 1872 | 0.091 | +1.1% |
| 1873 | 0.102 | +12.1% |
| 1874 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1876 | 0.074 | -27.5% |
| 1877 | 0.057 | -23.0% |
| 1878 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 0.067 | +17.5% |
| 1880 | 0.071 | +6.0% |
| 1881 | 0.073 | +2.8% |
| 1882 | 0.075 | +2.7% |
| 1883 | 0.075 | +0.0% |
| 1884 | 0.088 | +17.3% |
| 1885 | 0.105 | +19.3% |
| 1886 | 0.106 | +1.0% |
| 1887 | 0.109 | +2.8% |
| 1888 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.104 | -4.6% |
| 1891 | 0.107 | +2.9% |
| 1892 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.112 | +4.7% |
| 1896 | 0.102 | -8.9% |
| 1897 | 0.096 | -5.9% |
| 1898 | 0.104 | +8.3% |
| 1899 | 0.113 | +8.7% |
| 1900 | 0.115 | +1.8% |
| 1901 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.106 | -7.8% |
| 1903 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.102 | -3.8% |
| 1905 | 0.106 | +3.9% |
| 1906 | 0.112 | +5.7% |
| 1907 | 0.112 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.108 | -3.6% |
| 1909 | 0.108 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.11 | +1.9% |
| 1911 | 0.12 | +9.1% |
| 1912 | 0.122 | +1.7% |
| 1913 | 0.122 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.12 | -1.6% |
| 1915 | 0.121 | +0.8% |
| 1916 | 0.135 | +11.6% |
| 1917 | 0.187 | +38.5% |
| 1918 | 0.244 | +30.5% |
| 1919 | 0.299 | +22.5% |
| 1920 | 0.298 | -0.3% |
| 1921 | 0.299 | +0.3% |
| 1922 | 0.301 | +0.7% |
| 1923 | 0.309 | +2.7% |
| 1924 | 0.322 | +4.2% |
| 1925 | 0.336 | +4.3% |
| 1926 | 0.342 | +1.8% |
| 1927 | 0.342 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.341 | -0.3% |
| 1929 | 0.34 | -0.3% |
| 1930 | 0.34 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.337 | -0.9% |
| 1932 | 0.337 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.221 | -34.4% |
| 1934 | 0.222 | +0.5% |
| 1935 | 0.246 | +10.8% |
| 1936 | 0.261 | +6.1% |
| 1937 | 0.262 | +0.4% |
| 1938 | 0.329 | +25.6% |
| 1939 | 0.422 | +28.3% |
| 1940 | 0.424 | +0.5% |
| 1941 | 0.424 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.464 | +9.4% |
| 1943 | 0.548 | +18.1% |
| 1944 | 0.547 | -0.2% |
| 1945 | 0.55 | +0.5% |
| 1946 | 0.575 | +4.5% |
| 1947 | 0.588 | +2.3% |
| 1948 | 0.586 | -0.3% |
| 1949 | 0.584 | -0.3% |
| 1950 | 0.587 | +0.5% |
| 1951 | 0.599 | +2.0% |
| 1952 | 0.599 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.599 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.599 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.594 | -0.8% |
| 1956 | 0.597 | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 0.592 | -0.8% |
| 1958 | 0.596 | +0.7% |
| 1959 | 0.593 | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 0.593 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.593 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.593 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.573 | -3.4% |
| 1964 | 0.564 | -1.6% |
| 1965 | 0.558 | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 0.577 | +3.4% |
| 1967 | 0.562 | -2.6% |
| 1968 | 0.472 | -16.0% |
| 1969 | 0.466 | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 0.443 | -4.9% |
| 1971 | 0.417 | -5.9% |
| 1972 | 0.37 | -11.3% |
| 1973 | 0.103 | -72.2% |
| 1974 | 0.087 | -15.5% |
| 1975 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.079 | -9.2% |
| 1977 | 0.077 | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 0.076 | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 0.074 | -2.6% |
| 1980 | 0.089 | +20.3% |
| 1981 | 0.089 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.09 | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 0.09 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.107 | +18.9% |
| 1985 | 0.49 | +357.9% |
| 1986 | 0.588 | +20.0% |
| 1987 | 0.584 | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 0.581 | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 0.666 | +14.6% |
| 1990 | 0.682 | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 0.68 | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 0.681 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 0.681 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.711 | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 0.74 | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 0.744 | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 0.741 | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 0.745 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 0.733 | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 0.723 | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 0.716 | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 0.73 | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 0.727 | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 0.74 | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 0.752 | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.751 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.747 | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 0.74 | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 0.753 | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 0.77 | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 0.767 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 0.764 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 0.777 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 0.771 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.75 | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 0.746 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 0.735 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 0.731 | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 0.733 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 0.701 | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 0.675 | -3.7% |
| 2022 | 0.652 | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 0.661 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 0.702 | +6.2% |
| 2025 | 0.716 | +2.0% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 0.716 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.529, 1.4× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 0.716 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.429, 1.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Participatory Democracy Index in Uruguay changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +357.9% | 0.107 | 0.49 |
| 1973 | -72.2% | 0.37 | 0.103 |
| 1917 | +38.5% | 0.135 | 0.187 |
| 1831 | +35.1% | 0.037 | 0.05 |
| 1933 | -34.4% | 0.337 | 0.221 |
| 1918 | +30.5% | 0.187 | 0.244 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0328 | 0.03 | 0.037 | 5 |
| 1830s | 0.0532 | 0.037 | 0.059 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.0566 | 0.055 | 0.058 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.0628 | 0.06 | 0.067 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.0711 | 0.059 | 0.077 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.0816 | 0.057 | 0.102 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.092 | 0.071 | 0.109 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.1059 | 0.096 | 0.113 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.109 | 0.102 | 0.115 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.158 | 0.11 | 0.299 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.323 | 0.298 | 0.342 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.2977 | 0.221 | 0.422 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.529 | 0.424 | 0.588 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.5955 | 0.587 | 0.599 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.5551 | 0.466 | 0.593 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1813 | 0.074 | 0.443 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3374 | 0.089 | 0.666 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7138 | 0.68 | 0.745 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7379 | 0.716 | 0.753 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7544 | 0.731 | 0.777 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6845 | 0.652 | 0.716 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
More social development data for Uruguay
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,195 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 126 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 126 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 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 participatory democracy index in Uruguay?
- Participatory democracy index in Uruguay was 0.716 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest participatory democracy index recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 0.777 in 2013.
- What is the lowest participatory democracy index recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.03 in 1825.
- How does Uruguay rank for participatory democracy index?
- Uruguay ranks 2nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is participatory democracy index rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uruguay 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 — 201 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.