Iceland vs United States: Meaningful democratic electoral institutions
Iceland
1
in 2025
United States
1
in 2025
Iceland rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Meaningful democratic electoral institutions over time
- Iceland
- United States
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 1 against 1 in United States, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was United States ahead.
Iceland ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.6 | 0 | 0.6 | Iceland |
| 1910s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Iceland |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 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, Iceland or United States?
- Iceland, at 1 against 1 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in meaningful democratic electoral institutions between Iceland and United States?
- 0, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and United States?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Iceland and United States rank globally for meaningful democratic electoral institutions?
- Iceland 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.