What is varieties of democracy in Canada?

Varieties of democracy in Canada was 0.84 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Canada?

The highest recorded value was 0.85 in 2019.

What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Canada?

The lowest recorded value was 0.3 in 1861.

How does Canada rank for varieties of democracy?

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

Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Canada?

Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. 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 Varieties of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Varieties of democracy in Canada

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

Canada: Varieties of democracy was 0.84 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.84

Change on year

down 0.1%

World rank

16th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.85

in 2019

All-time low

0.3

in 1861

Years of data

185

1841–2025

Varieties of democracy in Canada, 1841–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for varieties of democracy in Canada is 0.84, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Canada peaked at 0.85 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.3, in 1861.

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	0.3067	0.303	0.309	9
1850s	0.3025	0.301	0.304	10
1860s	0.3254	0.3	0.401	10
1870s	0.4079	0.401	0.436	10
1880s	0.4397	0.436	0.449	10
1890s	0.4645	0.448	0.478	10
1900s	0.4793	0.471	0.482	10
1910s	0.4668	0.431	0.482	10
1920s	0.6351	0.463	0.671	10
1930s	0.6658	0.651	0.694	10
1940s	0.678	0.652	0.716	10
1950s	0.7504	0.744	0.754	10
1960s	0.8094	0.776	0.817	10
1970s	0.825	0.82	0.832	10
1980s	0.8321	0.828	0.835	10
1990s	0.8371	0.831	0.846	10
2000s	0.8282	0.824	0.836	10
2010s	0.8248	0.807	0.85	10
2020s	0.8447	0.84	0.849	6

Countries ranked near Canada

13 Czechia 0.849 compare
13 New Zealand 0.849 compare
15 Australia 0.844 compare
17 Austria 0.839 compare
17 Chile 0.839 compare
19 Latvia 0.834 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Canada

Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
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)
Liberal democracy 2 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.736 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.897 (2025)
Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.897 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.84 (2025)

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in Canada?: Varieties of democracy in Canada was 0.84 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Canada?: The highest recorded value was 0.85 in 2019.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Canada?: The lowest recorded value was 0.3 in 1861.
How does Canada rank for varieties of democracy?: Canada ranks 16th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Canada?: Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. 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 Varieties of democracy. 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: 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.