What is varieties of democracy in Italy?

Varieties of democracy in Italy was 0.745 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Italy?

The highest recorded value was 0.87 in 2017.

What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Italy?

The lowest recorded value was 0.018 in 1815.

How does Italy rank for varieties of democracy?

Italy ranks 40th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Italy?

Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Italy 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 Italy

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

Italy: Varieties of democracy was 0.745 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.745

Change on year

down 5.0%

World rank

40th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.87

in 2017

All-time low

0.018

in 1815

Years of data

211

1815–2025

Varieties of democracy in Italy, 1815–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, varieties of democracy in Italy stood at 0.745.

The figure is down 5.0% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Italy peaked at 0.87 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.018, in 1815.

That places Italy 40th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1810s	0.018	0.018	0.018	5
1820s	0.018	0.018	0.018	10
1830s	0.0188	0.018	0.019	10
1840s	0.047	0.019	0.2	10
1850s	0.2061	0.205	0.208	10
1860s	0.2339	0.205	0.274	10
1870s	0.2429	0.237	0.271	10
1880s	0.2859	0.272	0.291	10
1890s	0.2952	0.282	0.303	10
1900s	0.3058	0.303	0.308	10
1910s	0.3379	0.307	0.367	10
1920s	0.1836	0.06	0.375	10
1930s	0.0552	0.053	0.058	10
1940s	0.2805	0.052	0.678	10
1950s	0.6924	0.678	0.711	10
1960s	0.7286	0.727	0.732	10
1970s	0.7524	0.741	0.764	10
1980s	0.8121	0.792	0.821	10
1990s	0.8338	0.821	0.843	10
2000s	0.8455	0.833	0.861	10
2010s	0.8638	0.854	0.87	10
2020s	0.8152	0.745	0.857	6

Countries ranked near Italy

37 United Kingdom 0.772 compare
38 Poland 0.768 compare
39 Seychelles 0.76 compare
40 Cape Verde 0.745 compare
42 South Africa 0.743 compare
43 Greece 0.741 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Italy

Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 192,914 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 266 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Liberal democracy 3 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.642 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.9 (2025)
Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.9 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.745 (2025)

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in Italy?: Varieties of democracy in Italy was 0.745 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Italy?: The highest recorded value was 0.87 in 2017.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Italy?: The lowest recorded value was 0.018 in 1815.
How does Italy rank for varieties of democracy?: Italy ranks 40th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Italy?: Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Italy 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 — 211 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.