Which has higher centralization of political power index, China or Syria?

China, at 0.931 against 0.914 in Syria as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for China and Syria?

235 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

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

China vs Syria: Centralization of Political Power Index

China

0.931

in 2025

Syria

0.914

in 2025

China rank

15th

Syria rank

18th

Centralization of Political Power Index over time

China
Syria

How they compare

China currently reports 0.931 against 0.914 in Syria, a difference of 0.017.

The two have swapped places 10 times across 235 shared years of data; in 1789 it was China ahead.

China ranks 15th and Syria ranks 18th of 173 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, China averaged higher in 17 and Syria in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade	China	Syria	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.962	0.925	0.037	China
1790s	0.962	0.925	0.037	China
1800s	0.962	0.925	0.037	China
1810s	0.962	0.925	0.037	China
1820s	0.962	0.925	0.037	China
1830s	0.962	0.8668	0.0952	China
1840s	0.962	0.925	0.037	China
1850s	0.962	0.925	0.037	China
1860s	0.962	0.9102	0.0518	China
1870s	0.962	0.8373	0.1247	China
1880s	0.962	0.857	0.105	China
1890s	0.962	0.857	0.105	China
1900s	0.9129	0.8123	0.1006	China
1910s	0.7897	0.6151	0.1746	China
1920s	0.7465	0.7738	0.0273	Syria
1930s	0.7648	0.7124	0.0524	China
1940s	0.747	0.6552	0.0918	China
1950s	0.7956	0.5975	0.1981	China
1960s	0.7773	0.7862	0.0089	Syria
1970s	0.7746	0.9471	0.1725	Syria
1980s	0.7154	0.9559	0.2405	Syria
1990s	0.714	0.954	0.24	Syria
2000s	0.7747	0.922	0.1473	Syria
2010s	0.8588	0.9492	0.0904	Syria
2020s	0.9177	0.9218	0.0042	Syria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher centralization of political power index, China or Syria?: China, at 0.931 against 0.914 in Syria as of 2025.
What is the difference in centralization of political power index between China and Syria?: 0.017, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Syria?: 235 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do China and Syria rank globally for centralization of political power index?: China ranks 15th and Syria ranks 18th of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Centralization of Political Power Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Centralization of Political Power Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,802 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which the executive is unconstrained by the legislature, judiciary, electoral management body, and other oversight.