Varieties of democracy in Jamaica

Jamaica: Varieties of democracy was 0.805 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.805
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
27th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.811
in 2017
All-time low
0.195
in 1930
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Varieties of democracy in Jamaica, 1900–2025

0.20.40.60.8190019622025

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

Analysis

In 2025, varieties of democracy in Jamaica stood at 0.805.

The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Jamaica peaked at 0.811 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.195, in 1930.

That places Jamaica 27th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.1996 0.199 0.2 10
1910s 0.1993 0.199 0.202 10
1920s 0.1985 0.196 0.201 10
1930s 0.1988 0.195 0.207 10
1940s 0.2657 0.204 0.314 10
1950s 0.4409 0.306 0.523 10
1960s 0.5282 0.51 0.546 10
1970s 0.5022 0.466 0.521 10
1980s 0.5164 0.473 0.56 10
1990s 0.6199 0.577 0.67 10
2000s 0.7348 0.675 0.774 10
2010s 0.7951 0.767 0.811 10
2020s 0.8013 0.798 0.808 6

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 24 Japan 0.819 compare
  2. 24 South Korea 0.819 compare
  3. 26 Iceland 0.807 compare
  4. 28 Taiwan 0.801 compare
  5. 29 Barbados 0.797 compare
  6. 30 Lithuania 0.786 compare
  7. 30 Trinidad and Tobago 0.786 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in Jamaica?
Varieties of democracy in Jamaica was 0.805 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 0.811 in 2017.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 0.195 in 1930.
How does Jamaica rank for varieties of democracy?
Jamaica ranks 27th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Jamaica 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

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.