Denmark vs Sweden: Liberal Political Institutions Index

Denmark
0.979
in 2025
Sweden
0.975
in 2025
Denmark rank
1st
Sweden rank
2nd

Liberal Political Institutions Index over time

  • Denmark
  • Sweden
00.20.40.60.81178919072025

How they compare

Denmark currently reports 0.979 against 0.975 in Sweden, a difference of 0.004.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Sweden ahead.

Denmark ranks 1st and Sweden ranks 2nd of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 16 and Sweden in 9.

Head to head by decade

Decade Denmark Sweden Difference Ahead
1780s 0.533 0.664 0.131 Sweden
1790s 0.5386 0.722 0.1834 Sweden
1800s 0.566 0.7308 0.1648 Sweden
1810s 0.566 0.81 0.244 Sweden
1820s 0.566 0.81 0.244 Sweden
1830s 0.5732 0.81 0.2368 Sweden
1840s 0.6585 0.832 0.1735 Sweden
1850s 0.9173 0.854 0.0633 Denmark
1860s 0.919 0.8742 0.0448 Denmark
1870s 0.919 0.881 0.038 Denmark
1880s 0.9178 0.888 0.0298 Denmark
1890s 0.9187 0.893 0.0257 Denmark
1900s 0.9278 0.8975 0.0303 Denmark
1910s 0.9296 0.9145 0.0151 Denmark
1920s 0.958 0.9413 0.0167 Denmark
1930s 0.959 0.945 0.014 Denmark
1940s 0.8253 0.9508 0.1255 Sweden
1950s 0.9774 0.9586 0.0188 Denmark
1960s 0.9812 0.964 0.0172 Denmark
1970s 0.9837 0.9717 0.012 Denmark
1980s 0.984 0.9748 0.0092 Denmark
1990s 0.984 0.975 0.009 Denmark
2000s 0.984 0.9754 0.0086 Denmark
2010s 0.9829 0.9766 0.0063 Denmark
2020s 0.9767 0.9778 0.0012 Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal political institutions index, Denmark or Sweden?
Denmark, at 0.979 against 0.975 in Sweden as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal political institutions index between Denmark and Sweden?
0.004, with Denmark ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?
237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Denmark and Sweden rank globally for liberal political institutions index?
Denmark ranks 1st and Sweden ranks 2nd of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal Political Institutions Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Liberal Political Institutions Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,207 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent of individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.