What is varieties of democracy in Iran?

Varieties of democracy in Iran was 0.159 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Iran?

The highest recorded value was 0.234 in 1999.

What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Iran?

The lowest recorded value was 0.029 in 1900.

How does Iran rank for varieties of democracy?

Iran ranks 152nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Iran?

Over the last ten years it is down 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Iran 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 Iran

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

Iran: Varieties of democracy was 0.159 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.159

Change on year

down 4.2%

World rank

152nd

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.234

in 1999

All-time low

0.029

in 1900

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Varieties of democracy in Iran, 1900–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for varieties of democracy in Iran is 0.159, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of down 4.2% on the previous year and down 14.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Iran peaked at 0.234 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.029, in 1900.

That places Iran 152nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.0599	0.029	0.121	10
1910s	0.1241	0.121	0.137	10
1920s	0.1063	0.056	0.145	10
1930s	0.1135	0.113	0.115	10
1940s	0.1424	0.1	0.164	10
1950s	0.1055	0.057	0.205	10
1960s	0.0904	0.06	0.111	10
1970s	0.1155	0.107	0.159	10
1980s	0.134	0.104	0.177	10
1990s	0.1828	0.159	0.234	10
2000s	0.1986	0.158	0.234	10
2010s	0.1724	0.144	0.186	10
2020s	0.1582	0.148	0.166	6

Countries ranked near Iran

149 Somalia 0.165 compare
150 Mali 0.164 compare
151 Belarus 0.163 compare
153 Tajikistan 0.158 compare
154 Hong Kong 0.151 compare
154 Nicaragua 0.151 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Iran

Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 770,514 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 157,912 (2025)
Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
Liberal democracy 1 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.103 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.248 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.248 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.159 (2025)

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in Iran?: Varieties of democracy in Iran was 0.159 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Iran?: The highest recorded value was 0.234 in 1999.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Iran?: The lowest recorded value was 0.029 in 1900.
How does Iran rank for varieties of democracy?: Iran ranks 152nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Iran?: Over the last ten years it is down 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iran 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 — 126 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.