China vs Iran: Democratic change
China
1
in 2025
Iran
1
in 2025
China rank
23rd
Iran rank
23rd
Democratic change over time
- China
- Iran
How they compare
China currently reports 1 against 1 in Iran, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Iran ahead.
China ranks 23rd and Iran ranks 23rd of 175 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and Iran in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1 | 1.4 | 0.4 | Iran |
| 1910s | 1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | Iran |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | China |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher democratic change, China or Iran?
- China, at 1 against 1 in Iran as of 2025.
- What is the difference in democratic change between China and Iran?
- 0, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Iran?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do China and Iran rank globally for democratic change?
- China ranks 23rd and Iran ranks 23rd of 175 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Democratic change. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Data by Episodes of Regime Transformation and V-Dem.