What is varieties of democracy in Australia?

Varieties of democracy in Australia was 0.844 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Australia?

The highest recorded value was 0.896 in 2010.

What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Australia?

The lowest recorded value was 0.117 in 1789.

How does Australia rank for varieties of democracy?

Australia ranks 15th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Australia?

Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Australia data come from?

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

Varieties of democracy in Australia

Name: Varieties of democracy in Australia
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Australia: Varieties of democracy was 0.844 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.844

Change on year

down 0.5%

World rank

15th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.896

in 2010

All-time low

0.117

in 1789

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Varieties of democracy in Australia, 1789–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for varieties of democracy in Australia is 0.844, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Australia peaked at 0.896 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.117, in 1789.

Australia ranks 15th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.117	0.117	0.117	1
1790s	0.117	0.117	0.117	10
1800s	0.117	0.117	0.117	10
1810s	0.117	0.117	0.117	10
1820s	0.1712	0.117	0.204	10
1830s	0.204	0.204	0.204	10
1840s	0.2761	0.204	0.317	10
1850s	0.3891	0.316	0.582	10
1860s	0.5812	0.58	0.582	10
1870s	0.5811	0.58	0.583	10
1880s	0.5822	0.579	0.584	10
1890s	0.5798	0.575	0.582	10
1900s	0.7498	0.634	0.782	10
1910s	0.7557	0.719	0.777	10
1920s	0.7966	0.796	0.797	10
1930s	0.7958	0.763	0.8	10
1940s	0.7851	0.739	0.818	10
1950s	0.823	0.802	0.835	10
1960s	0.8416	0.834	0.847	10
1970s	0.8642	0.86	0.873	10
1980s	0.8813	0.871	0.886	10
1990s	0.8882	0.882	0.892	10
2000s	0.8824	0.878	0.889	10
2010s	0.8697	0.825	0.896	10
2020s	0.8423	0.828	0.851	6

Countries ranked near Australia

12 Finland 0.852 compare
13 Czechia 0.849 compare
13 New Zealand 0.849 compare
16 Canada 0.84 compare
17 Austria 0.839 compare
17 Chile 0.839 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Australia

Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 33,415 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 41 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Liberal democracy 3 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.793 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.906 (2025)
Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.906 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.844 (2025)

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in Australia?: Varieties of democracy in Australia was 0.844 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Australia?: The highest recorded value was 0.896 in 2010.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Australia?: The lowest recorded value was 0.117 in 1789.
How does Australia rank for varieties of democracy?: Australia ranks 15th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Australia?: Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Varieties of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Varieties of democracy
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.