France vs United Kingdom: Meaningful democratic electoral institutions
France
1
in 2025
United Kingdom
1
in 2025
France rank
1st
United Kingdom rank
1st
Meaningful democratic electoral institutions over time
- France
- United Kingdom
How they compare
France currently reports 1 against 1 in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was United Kingdom ahead.
France ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, France averaged higher in 5 and United Kingdom in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 0.6 | 0 | 0.6 | France |
| 1880s | 1 | 0 | 1 | France |
| 1890s | 1 | 0 | 1 | France |
| 1900s | 1 | 0 | 1 | France |
| 1910s | 1 | 0.1 | 0.9 | France |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | United Kingdom |
| 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, France or United Kingdom?
- France, at 1 against 1 in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in meaningful democratic electoral institutions between France and United Kingdom?
- 0, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and United Kingdom?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do France and United Kingdom rank globally for meaningful democratic electoral institutions?
- France ranks 1st and United Kingdom 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.