Finland vs United States: Meaningful democratic electoral institutions
Finland
1
in 2025
United States
1
in 2025
Finland rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Meaningful democratic electoral institutions over time
- Finland
- United States
How they compare
Finland currently reports 1 against 1 in United States, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 183 shared years of data; in 1789 it was United States ahead.
Finland ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Across the 20 decades both report, Finland averaged higher in 1 and United States in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Finland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0.2 | 0 | 0.2 | Finland |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0.7 | 1 | 0.3 | United States |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher meaningful democratic electoral institutions, Finland or United States?
- Finland, at 1 against 1 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in meaningful democratic electoral institutions between Finland and United States?
- 0, with Finland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and United States?
- 183 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Finland and United States rank globally for meaningful democratic electoral institutions?
- Finland ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Meaningful democratic electoral institutions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of whether the country is meaningfully an electoral democracy. This includes the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.