Varieties of democracy in Nepal

Nepal: Varieties of democracy was 0.656 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.656
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
61st
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.685
in 2023
All-time low
0.006
in 1846
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Varieties of democracy in Nepal, 1789–2025

00.20.40.6178919072025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for varieties of democracy in Nepal is 0.656, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Nepal peaked at 0.685 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.006, in 1846.

That places Nepal 61st out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Varieties of democracy in Nepal, year by year

Annual values for Varieties of democracy in Nepal, 1789 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1789 0.007
1790 0.007 +0.0%
1791 0.007 +0.0%
1792 0.007 +0.0%
1793 0.007 +0.0%
1794 0.007 +0.0%
1795 0.007 +0.0%
1796 0.007 +0.0%
1797 0.007 +0.0%
1798 0.007 +0.0%
1799 0.007 +0.0%
1800 0.007 +0.0%
1801 0.007 +0.0%
1802 0.007 +0.0%
1803 0.007 +0.0%
1804 0.007 +0.0%
1805 0.007 +0.0%
1806 0.007 +0.0%
1807 0.007 +0.0%
1808 0.007 +0.0%
1809 0.007 +0.0%
1810 0.007 +0.0%
1811 0.007 +0.0%
1812 0.007 +0.0%
1813 0.007 +0.0%
1814 0.007 +0.0%
1815 0.007 +0.0%
1816 0.007 +0.0%
1817 0.007 +0.0%
1818 0.007 +0.0%
1819 0.007 +0.0%
1820 0.007 +0.0%
1821 0.007 +0.0%
1822 0.007 +0.0%
1823 0.007 +0.0%
1824 0.007 +0.0%
1825 0.007 +0.0%
1826 0.007 +0.0%
1827 0.007 +0.0%
1828 0.007 +0.0%
1829 0.007 +0.0%
1830 0.007 +0.0%
1831 0.007 +0.0%
1832 0.007 +0.0%
1833 0.007 +0.0%
1834 0.007 +0.0%
1835 0.007 +0.0%
1836 0.007 +0.0%
1837 0.007 +0.0%
1838 0.007 +0.0%
1839 0.007 +0.0%
1840 0.007 +0.0%
1841 0.007 +0.0%
1842 0.007 +0.0%
1843 0.007 +0.0%
1844 0.007 +0.0%
1845 0.007 +0.0%
1846 0.006 -14.3%
1847 0.006 +0.0%
1848 0.006 +0.0%
1849 0.006 +0.0%
1850 0.006 +0.0%
1851 0.006 +0.0%
1852 0.006 +0.0%
1853 0.006 +0.0%
1854 0.006 +0.0%
1855 0.006 +0.0%
1856 0.006 +0.0%
1857 0.006 +0.0%
1858 0.006 +0.0%
1859 0.006 +0.0%
1860 0.006 +0.0%
1861 0.006 +0.0%
1862 0.006 +0.0%
1863 0.006 +0.0%
1864 0.006 +0.0%
1865 0.006 +0.0%
1866 0.006 +0.0%
1867 0.006 +0.0%
1868 0.006 +0.0%
1869 0.006 +0.0%
1870 0.006 +0.0%
1871 0.006 +0.0%
1872 0.006 +0.0%
1873 0.006 +0.0%
1874 0.006 +0.0%
1875 0.006 +0.0%
1876 0.006 +0.0%
1877 0.006 +0.0%
1878 0.006 +0.0%
1879 0.006 +0.0%
1880 0.006 +0.0%
1881 0.006 +0.0%
1882 0.006 +0.0%
1883 0.006 +0.0%
1884 0.006 +0.0%
1885 0.006 +0.0%
1886 0.006 +0.0%
1887 0.006 +0.0%
1888 0.006 +0.0%
1889 0.006 +0.0%
1890 0.006 +0.0%
1891 0.006 +0.0%
1892 0.006 +0.0%
1893 0.006 +0.0%
1894 0.006 +0.0%
1895 0.006 +0.0%
1896 0.006 +0.0%
1897 0.006 +0.0%
1898 0.006 +0.0%
1899 0.006 +0.0%
1900 0.01 +66.7%
1901 0.01 +0.0%
1902 0.01 +0.0%
1903 0.01 +0.0%
1904 0.01 +0.0%
1905 0.01 +0.0%
1906 0.01 +0.0%
1907 0.01 +0.0%
1908 0.01 +0.0%
1909 0.01 +0.0%
1910 0.01 +0.0%
1911 0.01 +0.0%
1912 0.01 +0.0%
1913 0.01 +0.0%
1914 0.01 +0.0%
1915 0.01 +0.0%
1916 0.01 +0.0%
1917 0.01 +0.0%
1918 0.01 +0.0%
1919 0.01 +0.0%
1920 0.009 -10.0%
1921 0.009 +0.0%
1922 0.009 +0.0%
1923 0.009 +0.0%
1924 0.009 +0.0%
1925 0.009 +0.0%
1926 0.009 +0.0%
1927 0.009 +0.0%
1928 0.009 +0.0%
1929 0.009 +0.0%
1930 0.009 +0.0%
1931 0.009 +0.0%
1932 0.01 +11.1%
1933 0.01 +0.0%
1934 0.01 +0.0%
1935 0.01 +0.0%
1936 0.01 +0.0%
1937 0.01 +0.0%
1938 0.01 +0.0%
1939 0.01 +0.0%
1940 0.01 +0.0%
1941 0.01 +0.0%
1942 0.01 +0.0%
1943 0.01 +0.0%
1944 0.01 +0.0%
1945 0.013 +30.0%
1946 0.013 +0.0%
1947 0.014 +7.7%
1948 0.014 +0.0%
1949 0.014 +0.0%
1950 0.027 +92.9%
1951 0.054 +100.0%
1952 0.141 +161.1%
1953 0.141 +0.0%
1954 0.141 +0.0%
1955 0.141 +0.0%
1956 0.141 +0.0%
1957 0.141 +0.0%
1958 0.143 +1.4%
1959 0.207 +44.8%
1960 0.199 -3.9%
1961 0.101 -49.2%
1962 0.092 -8.9%
1963 0.092 +0.0%
1964 0.092 +0.0%
1965 0.092 +0.0%
1966 0.092 +0.0%
1967 0.092 +0.0%
1968 0.092 +0.0%
1969 0.092 +0.0%
1970 0.092 +0.0%
1971 0.094 +2.2%
1972 0.094 +0.0%
1973 0.094 +0.0%
1974 0.094 +0.0%
1975 0.094 +0.0%
1976 0.094 +0.0%
1977 0.094 +0.0%
1978 0.094 +0.0%
1979 0.094 +0.0%
1980 0.098 +4.3%
1981 0.106 +8.2%
1982 0.11 +3.8%
1983 0.11 +0.0%
1984 0.11 +0.0%
1985 0.11 +0.0%
1986 0.112 +1.8%
1987 0.112 +0.0%
1988 0.112 +0.0%
1989 0.112 +0.0%
1990 0.258 +130.4%
1991 0.383 +48.4%
1992 0.407 +6.3%
1993 0.407 +0.0%
1994 0.407 +0.0%
1995 0.405 -0.5%
1996 0.398 -1.7%
1997 0.395 -0.8%
1998 0.395 +0.0%
1999 0.388 -1.8%
2000 0.36 -7.2%
2001 0.352 -2.2%
2002 0.271 -23.0%
2003 0.224 -17.3%
2004 0.224 +0.0%
2005 0.222 -0.9%
2006 0.23 +3.6%
2007 0.274 +19.1%
2008 0.478 +74.5%
2009 0.56 +17.2%
2010 0.554 -1.1%
2011 0.556 +0.4%
2012 0.39 -29.9%
2013 0.28 -28.2%
2014 0.625 +123.2%
2015 0.643 +2.9%
2016 0.665 +3.4%
2017 0.66 -0.8%
2018 0.633 -4.1%
2019 0.606 -4.3%
2020 0.598 -1.3%
2021 0.609 +1.8%
2022 0.631 +3.6%
2023 0.685 +8.6%
2024 0.669 -2.3%
2025 0.656 -1.9%

Nepal compared with similar countries

  • Nepal's 0.656 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3475, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Nepal's 0.656 is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.561, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.007 0.007 0.007 1
1790s 0.007 0.007 0.007 10
1800s 0.007 0.007 0.007 10
1810s 0.007 0.007 0.007 10
1820s 0.007 0.007 0.007 10
1830s 0.007 0.007 0.007 10
1840s 0.0066 0.006 0.007 10
1850s 0.006 0.006 0.006 10
1860s 0.006 0.006 0.006 10
1870s 0.006 0.006 0.006 10
1880s 0.006 0.006 0.006 10
1890s 0.006 0.006 0.006 10
1900s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1910s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1920s 0.009 0.009 0.009 10
1930s 0.0098 0.009 0.01 10
1940s 0.0118 0.01 0.014 10
1950s 0.1277 0.027 0.207 10
1960s 0.1036 0.092 0.199 10
1970s 0.0938 0.092 0.094 10
1980s 0.1092 0.098 0.112 10
1990s 0.3843 0.258 0.407 10
2000s 0.3195 0.222 0.56 10
2010s 0.5612 0.28 0.665 10
2020s 0.6413 0.598 0.685 6

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 58 Peru 0.667 compare
  2. 59 Botswana 0.665 compare
  3. 60 Lesotho 0.661 compare
  4. 62 Gambia 0.641 compare
  5. 63 Guatemala 0.637 compare
  6. 64 Montenegro 0.636 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in Nepal?
Varieties of democracy in Nepal was 0.656 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 0.685 in 2023.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 0.006 in 1846.
How does Nepal rank for varieties of democracy?
Nepal ranks 61st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nepal 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.

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Varieties of democracy in Nepal. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/varieties-democracy-vdem/nepal/

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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.