Portugal vs Spain: Free and fair elections
Portugal
1
in 2025
Spain
1
in 2025
Portugal rank
1st
Spain rank
1st
Free and fair elections over time
- Portugal
- Spain
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 1 against 1 in Spain, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 170 shared years of data; in 1820 it was Portugal ahead.
Portugal ranks 1st and Spain ranks 1st of 172 countries.
Across the 19 decades both report, Portugal averaged higher in 6 and Spain in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Portugal |
| 1830s | 0.4 | 0 | 0.4 | Portugal |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1890s | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | Portugal |
| 1900s | 1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | Portugal |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 1 | 0.25 | 0.75 | Portugal |
| 1930s | 0 | 1 | 1 | Spain |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | Portugal |
| 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, Portugal or Spain?
- Portugal, at 1 against 1 in Spain as of 2025.
- What is the difference in free and fair elections between Portugal and Spain?
- 0, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and Spain?
- 170 years are reported by both, from 1820 to 2025.
- How do Portugal and Spain rank globally for free and fair elections?
- Portugal ranks 1st and Spain 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.