United States vs USSR: Democracy
United States
1
in 2020
USSR
1
in 1991
United States rank
98th
USSR rank
98th
Democracy over time
- United States
- USSR
How they compare
United States currently reports 1 against 1 in USSR, a difference of 0.
Across all 70 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
United States ranks 98th and USSR ranks 98th of 168 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United States | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 2 | 0 | 2 | United States |
| 1930s | 2 | 0 | 2 | United States |
| 1940s | 2 | 0 | 2 | United States |
| 1950s | 2 | 0 | 2 | United States |
| 1960s | 2 | 0 | 2 | United States |
| 1970s | 2 | 0 | 2 | United States |
| 1980s | 2 | 0.1 | 1.9 | United States |
| 1990s | 2 | 1 | 1 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher democracy, United States or USSR?
- United States, at 1 against 1 in USSR as of 2020.
- What is the difference in democracy between United States and USSR?
- 0, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United States and USSR?
- 70 years are reported by both, from 1922 to 1991.
- How do United States and USSR rank globally for democracy?
- United States ranks 98th and USSR ranks 98th of 168 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).