Which has higher strong civil society index, Denmark or Sweden?

Denmark, at 0.967 against 0.963 in Sweden as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?

237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Strong Civil Society Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Denmark vs Sweden: Strong Civil Society Index

Denmark

0.967

in 2025

Sweden

0.963

in 2025

Denmark rank

2nd

Sweden rank

5th

Strong Civil Society Index over time

Denmark
Sweden

How they compare

Denmark currently reports 0.967 against 0.963 in Sweden, a difference of 0.004.

The two have swapped places 8 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Denmark ahead.

Denmark ranks 2nd and Sweden ranks 5th of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 23 and Sweden in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Denmark	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.3	0.047	0.253	Denmark
1790s	0.3	0.047	0.253	Denmark
1800s	0.3	0.047	0.253	Denmark
1810s	0.3	0.047	0.253	Denmark
1820s	0.3	0.047	0.253	Denmark
1830s	0.3535	0.047	0.3065	Denmark
1840s	0.4987	0.787	0.2883	Sweden
1850s	0.8815	0.787	0.0945	Denmark
1860s	0.934	0.881	0.053	Denmark
1870s	0.9166	0.881	0.0356	Denmark
1880s	0.8905	0.881	0.0095	Denmark
1890s	0.8998	0.881	0.0188	Denmark
1900s	0.942	0.881	0.061	Denmark
1910s	0.942	0.881	0.061	Denmark
1920s	0.942	0.8914	0.0506	Denmark
1930s	0.942	0.8939	0.0481	Denmark
1940s	0.8657	0.9199	0.0542	Sweden
1950s	0.968	0.937	0.031	Denmark
1960s	0.968	0.937	0.031	Denmark
1970s	0.968	0.9538	0.0142	Denmark
1980s	0.968	0.965	0.003	Denmark
1990s	0.968	0.965	0.003	Denmark
2000s	0.968	0.965	0.003	Denmark
2010s	0.968	0.965	0.003	Denmark
2020s	0.9672	0.9507	0.0165	Denmark

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher strong civil society index, Denmark or Sweden?: Denmark, at 0.967 against 0.963 in Sweden as of 2025.
What is the difference in strong civil society index between Denmark and Sweden?: 0.004, with Denmark ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Denmark and Sweden rank globally for strong civil society index?: Denmark ranks 2nd and Sweden ranks 5th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Strong Civil Society Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Strong Civil Society Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,138 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which interest groups, labor unions, charities, and other civil society organizations are autonomous from the state and can freely pursue their goals. The index ranges from 0 to 1 (strongest).