United Kingdom vs United States: Democracy
United Kingdom
2
in 2025
United States
2
in 2025
United Kingdom rank
32nd
United States rank
32nd
Democracy over time
- United Kingdom
- United States
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 2 against 2 in United States, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was United States ahead.
United Kingdom ranks 32nd and United States ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, United Kingdom averaged higher in 7 and United States in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United Kingdom | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1790s | 1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | United Kingdom |
| 1800s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1810s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1820s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1830s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1840s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1850s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1860s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1880s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1890s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 1.2 | 1 | 0.2 | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 3 | 2 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 3 | 2 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 3 | 2 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 3 | 2 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 3 | 2.1 | 0.9 | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 2.67 | 2.83 | 0.1667 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher democracy, United Kingdom or United States?
- United Kingdom, at 2 against 2 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in democracy between United Kingdom and United States?
- 0, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do United Kingdom and United States rank globally for democracy?
- United Kingdom ranks 32nd and United States ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – 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 by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.