United Kingdom vs United States: State Capacity Index
United Kingdom
1.78
in 2015
United States
1.86
in 2015
United Kingdom rank
17th
United States rank
16th
State Capacity Index over time
- United Kingdom
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1.86 against 1.78 in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.08.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 56 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United States ahead.
United Kingdom ranks 17th and United States ranks 16th of 166 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, United Kingdom averaged higher in 1 and United States in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United Kingdom | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.11 | 1.17 | 0.0514 | United States |
| 1970s | 1.45 | 1.41 | 0.0425 | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 1.52 | 1.73 | 0.2097 | United States |
| 1990s | 1.78 | 1.95 | 0.1711 | United States |
| 2000s | 1.88 | 1.93 | 0.0497 | United States |
| 2010s | 1.82 | 1.91 | 0.0903 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher state capacity index, United Kingdom or United States?
- United States, at 1.86 against 1.78 in United Kingdom as of 2015.
- What is the difference in state capacity index between United Kingdom and United States?
- 0.08, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2015.
- How do United Kingdom and United States rank globally for state capacity index?
- United Kingdom ranks 17th and United States ranks 16th of 166 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as State Capacity Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.