Statizoid

Varieties of democracy in Romania

Romania: Varieties of democracy was 0.605 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.605
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
70th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.805
in 2020
All-time low
0.036
in 1832
Years of data
195
1831–2025

Varieties of democracy in Romania, 1831–2025

00.20.40.60.8183119282025

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

Analysis

Romania recorded 0.605 for varieties of democracy in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Romania peaked at 0.805 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.036, in 1832.

Romania ranks 70th of 176 countries on this measure, 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 Romania, year by year

Year Value Change
1831 0.076 —
1832 0.036 -52.6%
1833 0.036 +0.0%
1834 0.036 +0.0%
1835 0.036 +0.0%
1836 0.04 +11.1%
1837 0.036 -10.0%
1838 0.036 +0.0%
1839 0.036 +0.0%
1840 0.036 +0.0%
1841 0.04 +11.1%
1842 0.036 -10.0%
1843 0.036 +0.0%
1844 0.036 +0.0%
1845 0.036 +0.0%
1846 0.041 +13.9%
1847 0.037 -9.8%
1848 0.037 +0.0%
1849 0.037 +0.0%
1850 0.037 +0.0%
1851 0.037 +0.0%
1852 0.037 +0.0%
1853 0.037 +0.0%
1854 0.037 +0.0%
1855 0.037 +0.0%
1856 0.037 +0.0%
1857 0.037 +0.0%
1858 0.053 +43.2%
1859 0.092 +73.6%
1860 0.154 +67.4%
1861 0.172 +11.7%
1862 0.184 +7.0%
1863 0.184 +0.0%
1864 0.208 +13.0%
1865 0.197 -5.3%
1866 0.186 -5.6%
1867 0.217 +16.7%
1868 0.217 +0.0%
1869 0.216 -0.5%
1870 0.225 +4.2%
1871 0.216 -4.0%
1872 0.216 +0.0%
1873 0.216 +0.0%
1874 0.216 +0.0%
1875 0.217 +0.5%
1876 0.217 +0.0%
1877 0.217 +0.0%
1878 0.217 +0.0%
1879 0.22 +1.4%
1880 0.22 +0.0%
1881 0.22 +0.0%
1882 0.22 +0.0%
1883 0.219 -0.5%
1884 0.219 +0.0%
1885 0.219 +0.0%
1886 0.219 +0.0%
1887 0.219 +0.0%
1888 0.218 -0.5%
1889 0.218 +0.0%
1890 0.218 +0.0%
1891 0.219 +0.5%
1892 0.219 +0.0%
1893 0.219 +0.0%
1894 0.219 +0.0%
1895 0.219 +0.0%
1896 0.219 +0.0%
1897 0.219 +0.0%
1898 0.219 +0.0%
1899 0.219 +0.0%
1900 0.238 +8.7%
1901 0.238 +0.0%
1902 0.239 +0.4%
1903 0.239 +0.0%
1904 0.239 +0.0%
1905 0.238 -0.4%
1906 0.238 +0.0%
1907 0.235 -1.3%
1908 0.24 +2.1%
1909 0.24 +0.0%
1910 0.24 +0.0%
1911 0.238 -0.8%
1912 0.239 +0.4%
1913 0.239 +0.0%
1914 0.237 -0.8%
1915 0.237 +0.0%
1916 0.232 -2.1%
1917 0.232 +0.0%
1918 0.23 -0.9%
1919 0.239 +3.9%
1920 0.235 -1.7%
1921 0.236 +0.4%
1922 0.233 -1.3%
1923 0.233 +0.0%
1924 0.223 -4.3%
1925 0.227 +1.8%
1926 0.231 +1.8%
1927 0.235 +1.7%
1928 0.235 +0.0%
1929 0.238 +1.3%
1930 0.221 -7.1%
1931 0.221 +0.0%
1932 0.22 -0.5%
1933 0.216 -1.8%
1934 0.218 +0.9%
1935 0.218 +0.0%
1936 0.218 +0.0%
1937 0.208 -4.6%
1938 0.13 -37.5%
1939 0.128 -1.5%
1940 0.113 -11.7%
1941 0.113 +0.0%
1942 0.113 +0.0%
1943 0.113 +0.0%
1944 0.106 -6.2%
1945 0.134 +26.4%
1946 0.133 -0.7%
1947 0.146 +9.8%
1948 0.137 -6.2%
1949 0.135 -1.5%
1950 0.134 -0.7%
1951 0.134 +0.0%
1952 0.136 +1.5%
1953 0.151 +11.0%
1954 0.151 +0.0%
1955 0.151 +0.0%
1956 0.151 +0.0%
1957 0.154 +2.0%
1958 0.154 +0.0%
1959 0.154 +0.0%
1960 0.154 +0.0%
1961 0.186 +20.8%
1962 0.187 +0.5%
1963 0.187 +0.0%
1964 0.187 +0.0%
1965 0.187 +0.0%
1966 0.186 -0.5%
1967 0.186 +0.0%
1968 0.186 +0.0%
1969 0.186 +0.0%
1970 0.186 +0.0%
1971 0.186 +0.0%
1972 0.186 +0.0%
1973 0.186 +0.0%
1974 0.186 +0.0%
1975 0.186 +0.0%
1976 0.186 +0.0%
1977 0.186 +0.0%
1978 0.186 +0.0%
1979 0.186 +0.0%
1980 0.186 +0.0%
1981 0.186 +0.0%
1982 0.186 +0.0%
1983 0.186 +0.0%
1984 0.186 +0.0%
1985 0.186 +0.0%
1986 0.185 -0.5%
1987 0.185 +0.0%
1988 0.185 +0.0%
1989 0.185 +0.0%
1990 0.522 +182.2%
1991 0.545 +4.4%
1992 0.553 +1.5%
1993 0.562 +1.6%
1994 0.562 +0.0%
1995 0.562 +0.0%
1996 0.573 +2.0%
1997 0.619 +8.0%
1998 0.619 +0.0%
1999 0.619 +0.0%
2000 0.611 -1.3%
2001 0.597 -2.3%
2002 0.597 +0.0%
2003 0.609 +2.0%
2004 0.592 -2.8%
2005 0.61 +3.0%
2006 0.611 +0.2%
2007 0.609 -0.3%
2008 0.621 +2.0%
2009 0.666 +7.2%
2010 0.68 +2.1%
2011 0.684 +0.6%
2012 0.674 -1.5%
2013 0.672 -0.3%
2014 0.676 +0.6%
2015 0.716 +5.9%
2016 0.733 +2.4%
2017 0.695 -5.2%
2018 0.692 -0.4%
2019 0.75 +8.4%
2020 0.805 +7.3%
2021 0.766 -4.8%
2022 0.691 -9.8%
2023 0.677 -2.0%
2024 0.628 -7.2%
2025 0.605 -3.7%

Romania compared with similar countries

  • Romania's 0.605 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.786, 77% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Romania's 0.605 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.737, 82% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1830s 0.0409 0.036 0.076 9
1840s 0.0372 0.036 0.041 10
1850s 0.0441 0.037 0.092 10
1860s 0.1935 0.154 0.217 10
1870s 0.2177 0.216 0.225 10
1880s 0.2191 0.218 0.22 10
1890s 0.2189 0.218 0.219 10
1900s 0.2384 0.235 0.24 10
1910s 0.2363 0.23 0.24 10
1920s 0.2326 0.223 0.238 10
1930s 0.1998 0.128 0.221 10
1940s 0.1243 0.106 0.146 10
1950s 0.147 0.134 0.154 10
1960s 0.1832 0.154 0.187 10
1970s 0.186 0.186 0.186 10
1980s 0.1856 0.185 0.186 10
1990s 0.5736 0.522 0.619 10
2000s 0.6123 0.592 0.666 10
2010s 0.6972 0.672 0.75 10
2020s 0.6953 0.605 0.805 6

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 67 Sao Tome and Principe 0.632 compare
  2. 68 Armenia 0.614 compare
  3. 69 Ecuador 0.607 compare
  4. 70 Bolivia 0.605 compare
  5. 72 Bulgaria 0.599 compare
  6. 73 Liberia 0.597 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in Romania?
Varieties of democracy in Romania was 0.605 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Romania?
The highest recorded value was 0.805 in 2020.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 0.036 in 1832.
How does Romania rank for varieties of democracy?
Romania ranks 70th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Romania 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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Relationships involving this indicator

Comparisons with other indicators across countries. Each was re-measured with population and national income held constant, so a relationship that only reflected country size is not listed here.

All correlations →

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Varieties of democracy in Romania. 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/romania/

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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.