Which has higher free and fair elections index, France or Switzerland?

Switzerland, at 0.942 against 0.941 in France as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for France and Switzerland?

228 years are reported by both, from 1798 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Free and Fair Elections Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

France vs Switzerland: Free and Fair Elections Index

France

0.941

in 2025

Switzerland

0.942

in 2025

France rank

21st

Switzerland rank

20th

Free and Fair Elections Index over time

France
Switzerland

How they compare

Switzerland currently reports 0.942 against 0.941 in France, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 228 shared years of data; in 1798 it was France ahead.

France ranks 21st and Switzerland ranks 20th of 176 countries.

Across the 24 decades both report, France averaged higher in 11 and Switzerland in 13.

Head to head by decade

Decade	France	Switzerland	Difference	Ahead
1790s	0.4715	0	0.4715	France
1800s	0.418	0	0.418	France
1810s	0.4786	0	0.4786	France
1820s	0.5629	0	0.5629	France
1830s	0.6121	0	0.6121	France
1840s	0.6122	0.1139	0.4983	France
1850s	0.5813	0.9058	0.3245	Switzerland
1860s	0.5939	0.9061	0.3122	Switzerland
1870s	0.7893	0.9061	0.1168	Switzerland
1880s	0.813	0.9056	0.0926	Switzerland
1890s	0.8123	0.9063	0.094	Switzerland
1900s	0.7907	0.9182	0.1275	Switzerland
1910s	0.7996	0.9244	0.1248	Switzerland
1920s	0.8251	0.9194	0.0943	Switzerland
1930s	0.8209	0.9228	0.1019	Switzerland
1940s	0.3799	0.9214	0.5415	Switzerland
1950s	0.8294	0.9202	0.0908	Switzerland
1960s	0.8866	0.9215	0.0349	Switzerland
1970s	0.9237	0.9254	0.0017	Switzerland
1980s	0.9392	0.9266	0.0126	France
1990s	0.9395	0.9261	0.0134	France
2000s	0.9405	0.9283	0.0122	France
2010s	0.9549	0.9474	0.0075	France
2020s	0.9495	0.9413	0.0082	France

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher free and fair elections index, France or Switzerland?: Switzerland, at 0.942 against 0.941 in France as of 2025.
What is the difference in free and fair elections index between France and Switzerland?: 0.001, with Switzerland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and Switzerland?: 228 years are reported by both, from 1798 to 2025.
How do France and Switzerland rank globally for free and fair elections index?: France ranks 21st and Switzerland ranks 20th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Free and Fair Elections Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Free and Fair Elections Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,402 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which registration fraud, systematic irregularities, government intimidation of the opposition, vote buying, and election violence are absent, and the election management body is autonomous and has enough staff and resources.