Which has higher strong elected local governments index, Japan or Latvia?

Japan, at 0.991 against 0.988 in Latvia as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Latvia?

138 years are reported by both, from 1888 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

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

Japan vs Latvia: Strong Elected Local Governments Index

Japan

0.991

in 2025

Latvia

0.988

in 2025

Japan rank

11th

Latvia rank

14th

Strong Elected Local Governments Index over time

Japan
Latvia

How they compare

Japan currently reports 0.991 against 0.988 in Latvia, a difference of 0.003.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 138 shared years of data; in 1888 it was Latvia ahead.

Japan ranks 11th and Latvia ranks 14th of 175 countries.

Across the 15 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 12 and Latvia in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Japan	Latvia	Difference	Ahead
1880s	0.1845	0.646	0.4615	Latvia
1890s	0.253	0.031	0.222	Japan
1900s	0.253	0.0582	0.1948	Japan
1910s	0.253	0.0623	0.1907	Japan
1920s	0.2554	0.889	0.6336	Latvia
1930s	0.259	0.889	0.63	Latvia
1940s	0.5347	0.004	0.5307	Japan
1950s	0.991	0.004	0.987	Japan
1960s	0.991	0.389	0.602	Japan
1970s	0.991	0.554	0.437	Japan
1980s	0.991	0.554	0.437	Japan
1990s	0.991	0.983	0.008	Japan
2000s	0.991	0.983	0.008	Japan
2010s	0.991	0.9746	0.0164	Japan
2020s	0.991	0.9845	0.0065	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher strong elected local governments index, Japan or Latvia?: Japan, at 0.991 against 0.988 in Latvia as of 2025.
What is the difference in strong elected local governments index between Japan and Latvia?: 0.003, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Latvia?: 138 years are reported by both, from 1888 to 2025.
How do Japan and Latvia rank globally for strong elected local governments index?: Japan ranks 11th and Latvia ranks 14th of 175 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Strong Elected Local Governments Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Strong Elected Local Governments Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 175 places, 25,933 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which elected local governments exist, and they operate without interference from local unelected bodies.