Ireland vs United States: Free and fair elections
Ireland
1
in 2025
United States
1
in 2025
Ireland rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Free and fair elections over time
- Ireland
- United States
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 1 against 1 in United States, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 234 shared years of data; in 1790 it was United States ahead.
Ireland ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 172 countries.
Across the 24 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 2 and United States in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1800s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1810s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1820s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1830s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1840s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1850s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1860s | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 | United States |
| 1870s | 1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | Ireland |
| 1880s | 1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | Ireland |
| 1890s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 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 free and fair elections, Ireland or United States?
- Ireland, at 1 against 1 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in free and fair elections between Ireland and United States?
- 0, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and United States?
- 234 years are reported by both, from 1790 to 2025.
- How do Ireland and United States rank globally for free and fair elections?
- Ireland ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 172 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Free and fair elections. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of whether national elections were free and fair or not.