Sweden vs United Kingdom: Free and fair elections

Sweden
1
in 2025
United Kingdom
1
in 2025
Sweden rank
1st
United Kingdom rank
1st

Free and fair elections over time

  • Sweden
  • United Kingdom
00.20.40.60.81178919072025

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 1 against 1 in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 236 shared years of data; in 1790 it was Sweden ahead.

Sweden ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 1st of 172 countries.

Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 24 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Sweden United Kingdom Difference Ahead
1790s 1 0 1 Sweden
1800s 1 0 1 Sweden
1810s 1 0 1 Sweden
1820s 1 0 1 Sweden
1830s 1 0 1 Sweden
1840s 1 0 1 Sweden
1850s 1 0 1 Sweden
1860s 1 0.5 0.5 Sweden
1870s 1 1 0 β€”
1880s 1 1 0 β€”
1890s 1 1 0 β€”
1900s 1 1 0 β€”
1910s 1 1 0 β€”
1920s 1 1 0 β€”
1930s 1 1 0 β€”
1940s 1 1 0 β€”
1950s 1 1 0 β€”
1960s 1 1 0 β€”
1970s 1 1 0 β€”
1980s 1 1 0 β€”
1990s 1 1 0 β€”
2000s 1 1 0 β€”
2010s 1 1 0 β€”
2020s 1 1 0 β€”

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher free and fair elections, Sweden or United Kingdom?
Sweden, at 1 against 1 in United Kingdom as of 2025.
What is the difference in free and fair elections between Sweden and United Kingdom?
0, with Sweden ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sweden and United Kingdom?
236 years are reported by both, from 1790 to 2025.
How do Sweden and United Kingdom rank globally for free and fair elections?
Sweden ranks 1st and United Kingdom 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

Indicator
Free and fair elections
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 17,000 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of whether national elections were free and fair or not.