What is varieties of democracy in Portugal?

Varieties of democracy in Portugal was 0.822 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Portugal?

The highest recorded value was 0.899 in 2018.

What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Portugal?

The lowest recorded value was 0.015 in 1789.

How does Portugal rank for varieties of democracy?

Portugal ranks 22nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Portugal?

Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Portugal 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 Portugal

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

Portugal: Varieties of democracy was 0.822 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.822

Change on year

down 1.7%

World rank

22nd

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.899

in 2018

All-time low

0.015

in 1789

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Varieties of democracy in Portugal, 1789–2025

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

Analysis

Portugal recorded 0.822 for varieties of democracy in 2025.

That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Portugal peaked at 0.899 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.015, in 1789.

That places Portugal 22nd 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
1780s	0.015	0.015	0.015	1
1790s	0.015	0.015	0.015	10
1800s	0.015	0.015	0.015	10
1810s	0.015	0.015	0.015	10
1820s	0.1536	0.042	0.231	10
1830s	0.0884	0.042	0.146	10
1840s	0.129	0.126	0.131	10
1850s	0.139	0.127	0.151	10
1860s	0.1621	0.16	0.163	10
1870s	0.1663	0.158	0.178	10
1880s	0.178	0.177	0.179	10
1890s	0.1696	0.16	0.179	10
1900s	0.1478	0.146	0.153	10
1910s	0.2286	0.161	0.258	10
1920s	0.1862	0.048	0.252	10
1930s	0.1134	0.107	0.122	10
1940s	0.1169	0.115	0.118	10
1950s	0.1206	0.12	0.122	10
1960s	0.1255	0.119	0.129	10
1970s	0.3886	0.147	0.753	10
1980s	0.8574	0.841	0.87	10
1990s	0.8638	0.858	0.869	10
2000s	0.883	0.867	0.894	10
2010s	0.8893	0.884	0.899	10
2020s	0.8548	0.822	0.886	6

Countries ranked near Portugal

19 Latvia 0.834 compare
20 Netherlands 0.832 compare
21 Germany 0.828 compare
22 Spain 0.822 compare
24 Japan 0.819 compare
24 South Korea 0.819 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Portugal

Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 70,349 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 109 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Liberal democracy 2 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.717 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.836 (2025)
Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.836 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.822 (2025)

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in Portugal?: Varieties of democracy in Portugal was 0.822 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Portugal?: The highest recorded value was 0.899 in 2018.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Portugal?: The lowest recorded value was 0.015 in 1789.
How does Portugal rank for varieties of democracy?: Portugal ranks 22nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Portugal?: Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Portugal 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 — 237 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.