Switzerland vs United States: Meaningful democratic electoral institutions
Switzerland
1
in 2025
United States
1
in 2025
Switzerland rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Meaningful democratic electoral institutions over time
- Switzerland
- United States
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 1 against 1 in United States, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 228 shared years of data; in 1798 it was United States ahead.
Switzerland ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Switzerland has averaged higher in every one of the 24 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Switzerland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1840s | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | Switzerland |
| 1850s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1860s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1870s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1880s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1890s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1900s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1910s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 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, Switzerland or United States?
- Switzerland, at 1 against 1 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in meaningful democratic electoral institutions between Switzerland and United States?
- 0, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and United States?
- 228 years are reported by both, from 1798 to 2025.
- How do Switzerland and United States rank globally for meaningful democratic electoral institutions?
- Switzerland 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.