What is varieties of democracy in New Zealand?

Varieties of democracy in New Zealand was 0.849 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in New Zealand?

The highest recorded value was 0.893 in 2009.

What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in New Zealand?

The lowest recorded value was 0.269 in 1853.

How does New Zealand rank for varieties of democracy?

New Zealand ranks 13th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in New Zealand?

Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this New Zealand 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 New Zealand

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

New Zealand: Varieties of democracy was 0.849 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.849

Change on year

down 2.2%

World rank

13th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.893

in 2009

All-time low

0.269

in 1853

Years of data

173

1853–2025

Varieties of democracy in New Zealand, 1853–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, varieties of democracy in New Zealand stood at 0.849.

That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in New Zealand peaked at 0.893 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.269, in 1853.

That places New Zealand 13th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 173 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1850s	0.3887	0.269	0.474	7
1860s	0.4969	0.467	0.502	10
1870s	0.5203	0.5	0.572	10
1880s	0.5718	0.57	0.575	10
1890s	0.7086	0.567	0.775	10
1900s	0.7947	0.783	0.798	10
1910s	0.7798	0.767	0.798	10
1920s	0.8035	0.798	0.807	10
1930s	0.7993	0.782	0.814	10
1940s	0.7843	0.774	0.802	10
1950s	0.7963	0.768	0.809	10
1960s	0.8296	0.82	0.833	10
1970s	0.8481	0.845	0.853	10
1980s	0.8585	0.849	0.866	10
1990s	0.8748	0.869	0.88	10
2000s	0.8811	0.878	0.893	10
2010s	0.8868	0.879	0.893	10
2020s	0.8718	0.849	0.882	6

Countries ranked near New Zealand

10 Costa Rica 0.862 compare
10 Uruguay 0.862 compare
12 Finland 0.852 compare
13 Czechia 0.849 compare
15 Australia 0.844 compare
16 Canada 0.84 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for New Zealand

Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 2,148 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 58 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Liberal democracy 3 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.787 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.948 (2025)
Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.948 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.849 (2025)

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in New Zealand?: Varieties of democracy in New Zealand was 0.849 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in New Zealand?: The highest recorded value was 0.893 in 2009.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in New Zealand?: The lowest recorded value was 0.269 in 1853.
How does New Zealand rank for varieties of democracy?: New Zealand ranks 13th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in New Zealand?: Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand 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 — 173 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.