Which has higher free and fair elections index, Iceland or Japan?

Japan, at 0.937 against 0.929 in Iceland as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Japan?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 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.

Iceland vs Japan: Free and Fair Elections Index

Iceland

0.929

in 2025

Japan

0.937

in 2025

Iceland rank

29th

Japan rank

27th

Free and Fair Elections Index over time

Iceland
Japan

How they compare

Japan currently reports 0.937 against 0.929 in Iceland, a difference of 0.008.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Iceland ahead.

Iceland ranks 29th and Japan ranks 27th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 12 and Japan in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iceland	Japan	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.8992	0.4595	0.4397	Iceland
1910s	0.8986	0.4711	0.4275	Iceland
1920s	0.9007	0.5679	0.3328	Iceland
1930s	0.9017	0.6013	0.3004	Iceland
1940s	0.9106	0.6872	0.2234	Iceland
1950s	0.9305	0.8989	0.0316	Iceland
1960s	0.9384	0.9196	0.0188	Iceland
1970s	0.9384	0.9206	0.0178	Iceland
1980s	0.9379	0.9199	0.018	Iceland
1990s	0.9382	0.9184	0.0198	Iceland
2000s	0.9419	0.9254	0.0165	Iceland
2010s	0.9501	0.9324	0.0177	Iceland
2020s	0.9237	0.9405	0.0168	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher free and fair elections index, Iceland or Japan?: Japan, at 0.937 against 0.929 in Iceland as of 2025.
What is the difference in free and fair elections index between Iceland and Japan?: 0.008, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Japan?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Iceland and Japan rank globally for free and fair elections index?: Iceland ranks 29th and Japan ranks 27th 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.