Which has higher free and fair elections index, Malta or United States?

Malta, at 0.903 against 0.902 in United States as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Malta and United States?

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.

Malta vs United States: Free and Fair Elections Index

Malta

0.903

in 2025

United States

0.902

in 2025

Malta rank

35th

United States rank

36th

Free and Fair Elections Index over time

Malta
United States

How they compare

Malta currently reports 0.903 against 0.902 in United States, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 13 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was United States ahead.

Malta ranks 35th and United States ranks 36th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Malta averaged higher in 2 and United States in 11.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Malta	United States	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0	0.5227	0.5227	United States
1910s	0	0.5397	0.5397	United States
1920s	0.5955	0.5365	0.059	Malta
1930s	0.1578	0.5581	0.4003	United States
1940s	0.1817	0.62	0.4383	United States
1950s	0.6561	0.6771	0.021	United States
1960s	0.5913	0.732	0.1407	United States
1970s	0.7466	0.8084	0.0618	United States
1980s	0.697	0.8788	0.1818	United States
1990s	0.8254	0.891	0.0656	United States
2000s	0.8669	0.8875	0.0206	United States
2010s	0.9029	0.9177	0.0148	United States
2020s	0.8968	0.871	0.0258	Malta

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher free and fair elections index, Malta or United States?: Malta, at 0.903 against 0.902 in United States as of 2025.
What is the difference in free and fair elections index between Malta and United States?: 0.001, with Malta ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malta and United States?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Malta and United States rank globally for free and fair elections index?: Malta ranks 35th and United States ranks 36th 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.