Which has higher legislative checks on government index, Belgium or Japan?

Japan, at 0.901 against 0.889 in Belgium as of 2025.

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

151 years are reported by both, from 1868 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Legislative Checks on Government Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Belgium vs Japan: Legislative Checks on Government Index

Belgium

0.889

in 2025

Japan

0.901

in 2025

Belgium rank

30th

Japan rank

27th

Legislative Checks on Government Index over time

Belgium
Japan

How they compare

Japan currently reports 0.901 against 0.889 in Belgium, a difference of 0.012.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 151 shared years of data; in 1868 it was Belgium ahead.

Belgium ranks 30th and Japan ranks 27th of 174 countries.

Across the 17 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 9 and Japan in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Belgium	Japan	Difference	Ahead
1860s	0.78	0.133	0.647	Belgium
1870s	0.78	0.133	0.647	Belgium
1880s	0.78	0.1299	0.6501	Belgium
1890s	0.78	0.5244	0.2556	Belgium
1900s	0.78	0.54	0.24	Belgium
1910s	0.763	0.5778	0.1852	Belgium
1920s	0.772	0.593	0.179	Belgium
1930s	0.772	0.5719	0.2001	Belgium
1940s	0.7806	0.7164	0.0641	Belgium
1950s	0.835	0.923	0.088	Japan
1960s	0.835	0.923	0.088	Japan
1970s	0.835	0.901	0.066	Japan
1980s	0.842	0.901	0.059	Japan
1990s	0.885	0.9094	0.0244	Japan
2000s	0.8999	0.932	0.0321	Japan
2010s	0.9083	0.932	0.0237	Japan
2020s	0.8968	0.901	0.0042	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher legislative checks on government index, Belgium or Japan?: Japan, at 0.901 against 0.889 in Belgium as of 2025.
What is the difference in legislative checks on government index between Belgium and Japan?: 0.012, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Japan?: 151 years are reported by both, from 1868 to 2025.
How do Belgium and Japan rank globally for legislative checks on government index?: Belgium ranks 30th and Japan ranks 27th of 174 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Legislative Checks on Government Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Legislative Checks on Government Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 174 places, 23,601 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which the legislature, including opposition parties, questions executive officials and oversees and investigates the executive.