What is varieties of democracy in Switzerland?

Varieties of democracy in Switzerland was 0.882 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Switzerland?

The highest recorded value was 0.907 in 2012.

What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Switzerland?

The lowest recorded value was 0.178 in 1801.

How does Switzerland rank for varieties of democracy?

Switzerland ranks 7th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Switzerland?

Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Switzerland 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 Switzerland

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

Switzerland: Varieties of democracy was 0.882 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.882

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

7th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.907

in 2012

All-time low

0.178

in 1801

Years of data

228

1798–2025

Varieties of democracy in Switzerland, 1798–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, varieties of democracy in Switzerland stood at 0.882.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Switzerland peaked at 0.907 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.178, in 1801.

Switzerland ranks 7th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 228 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1790s	0.215	0.215	0.215	2
1800s	0.1817	0.178	0.206	10
1810s	0.178	0.178	0.178	10
1820s	0.178	0.178	0.178	10
1830s	0.2095	0.178	0.213	10
1840s	0.2573	0.213	0.543	10
1850s	0.5423	0.54	0.543	10
1860s	0.5415	0.54	0.542	10
1870s	0.5653	0.542	0.581	10
1880s	0.5806	0.58	0.582	10
1890s	0.5796	0.578	0.581	10
1900s	0.5949	0.586	0.601	10
1910s	0.5983	0.596	0.601	10
1920s	0.6066	0.606	0.608	10
1930s	0.6068	0.605	0.609	10
1940s	0.6065	0.597	0.617	10
1950s	0.6171	0.617	0.618	10
1960s	0.6214	0.621	0.623	10
1970s	0.8122	0.624	0.863	10
1980s	0.8713	0.87	0.875	10
1990s	0.8879	0.886	0.89	10
2000s	0.8891	0.886	0.895	10
2010s	0.9024	0.895	0.907	10
2020s	0.8898	0.882	0.902	6

Countries ranked near Switzerland

5 Estonia 0.887 compare
9 France 0.865 compare
10 Costa Rica 0.862 compare
10 Uruguay 0.862 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Switzerland

Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 208,287 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 6 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Liberal democracy 3 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.843 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.95 (2025)
Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.95 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.882 (2025)

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in Switzerland?: Varieties of democracy in Switzerland was 0.882 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Switzerland?: The highest recorded value was 0.907 in 2012.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Switzerland?: The lowest recorded value was 0.178 in 1801.
How does Switzerland rank for varieties of democracy?: Switzerland ranks 7th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Switzerland?: Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland 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 — 228 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.