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

Syria, at 0.914 against 0.906 in Vatican as of 2025.

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

78 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 1870.

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.

Syria vs Vatican: Centralization of Political Power Index

Syria

0.914

in 2025

Vatican

0.906

in 1870

Syria rank

18th

Vatican rank

19th

Centralization of Political Power Index over time

Syria
Vatican

How they compare

Syria currently reports 0.914 against 0.906 in Vatican, a difference of 0.008.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 78 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Syria ahead.

Syria ranks 18th and Vatican ranks 19th of 173 countries.

Across the 10 decades both report, Syria averaged higher in 8 and Vatican in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Syria	Vatican	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.925	0.923	0.002	Syria
1790s	0.925	0.8994	0.0256	Syria
1800s	0.925	0.922	0.003	Syria
1810s	0.925	0.92	0.005	Syria
1820s	0.925	0.92	0.005	Syria
1830s	0.8668	0.92	0.0532	Vatican
1840s	0.925	0.9	0.025	Syria
1850s	0.925	0.906	0.019	Syria
1860s	0.9102	0.906	0.0042	Syria
1870s	0.851	0.906	0.055	Vatican

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher centralization of political power index, Syria or Vatican?: Syria, at 0.914 against 0.906 in Vatican as of 2025.
What is the difference in centralization of political power index between Syria and Vatican?: 0.008, with Syria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Syria and Vatican?: 78 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 1870.
How do Syria and Vatican rank globally for centralization of political power index?: Syria ranks 18th and Vatican ranks 19th 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.