Statizoid

Competitive elections in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Competitive elections was 1 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
1
in 1832
All-time low
0
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Competitive elections in United Kingdom, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 1 for competitive elections in 2025. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, competitive elections in United Kingdom peaked at 1 in 1832 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.

United Kingdom ranks 1st of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0 0 0 1
1790s 0 0 0 10
1800s 0 0 0 10
1810s 0 0 0 10
1820s 0 0 0 10
1830s 0.8 0 1 10
1840s 1 1 1 10
1850s 1 1 1 10
1860s 1 1 1 10
1870s 1 1 1 10
1880s 1 1 1 10
1890s 1 1 1 10
1900s 1 1 1 10
1910s 1 1 1 10
1920s 1 1 1 10
1930s 1 1 1 10
1940s 1 1 1 10
1950s 1 1 1 10
1960s 1 1 1 10
1970s 1 1 1 10
1980s 1 1 1 10
1990s 1 1 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

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  6. 1 Australia 1 compare
  7. 1 Austria 1 compare
  8. 1 Bahamas 1 compare
  9. 1 Barbados 1 compare
  10. 1 Belgium 1 compare
  11. 1 Belize 1 compare
  12. 1 Bhutan 1 compare
  13. 1 Bolivia 1 compare
  14. 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
  15. 1 Botswana 1 compare
  16. 1 Brazil 1 compare
  17. 1 Bulgaria 1 compare
  18. 1 Canada 1 compare
  19. 1 Cape Verde 1 compare
  20. 1 Chile 1 compare
  21. 1 Colombia 1 compare
  22. 1 Costa Rica 1 compare
  23. 1 Croatia 1 compare
  24. 1 Cyprus 1 compare
  25. 1 Czechia 1 compare
  26. 1 Denmark 1 compare
  27. 1 Dominica 1 compare
  28. 1 Dominican Republic 1 compare
  29. 1 East Timor 1 compare
  30. 1 Ecuador 1 compare
  31. 1 Estonia 1 compare
  32. 1 Fiji 1 compare
  33. 1 Finland 1 compare
  34. 1 France 1 compare
  35. 1 Gambia 1 compare
  36. 1 Germany 1 compare
  37. 1 Ghana 1 compare
  38. 1 Greece 1 compare
  39. 1 Grenada 1 compare
  40. 1 Guatemala 1 compare
  41. 1 Guyana 1 compare
  42. 1 Honduras 1 compare
  43. 1 Hungary 1 compare
  44. 1 Iceland 1 compare
  45. 1 India 1 compare
  46. 1 Indonesia 1 compare
  47. 1 Iraq 1 compare
  48. 1 Israel 1 compare
  49. 1 Italy 1 compare
  50. 1 Jamaica 1 compare
  51. 1 Japan 1 compare
  52. 1 Kenya 1 compare
  53. 1 Kiribati 1 compare
  54. 1 Latvia 1 compare
  55. 1 Lebanon 1 compare
  56. 1 Lesotho 1 compare
  57. 1 Liberia 1 compare
  58. 1 Lithuania 1 compare
  59. 1 Malawi 1 compare
  60. 1 Malaysia 1 compare
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  63. 1 Mauritius 1 compare
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  65. 1 Micronesia (country) 1 compare
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  67. 1 Mongolia 1 compare
  68. 1 Montenegro 1 compare
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  73. 1 New Zealand 1 compare
  74. 1 North Macedonia 1 compare
  75. 1 Norway 1 compare
  76. 1 Palau 1 compare
  77. 1 Panama 1 compare
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  79. 1 Paraguay 1 compare
  80. 1 Peru 1 compare
  81. 1 Philippines 1 compare
  82. 1 Poland 1 compare
  83. 1 Portugal 1 compare
  84. 1 Romania 1 compare
  85. 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 compare
  86. 1 Saint Lucia 1 compare
  87. 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 compare
  88. 1 Samoa 1 compare
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  90. 1 Sao Tome and Principe 1 compare
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  100. 1 Suriname 1 compare
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See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is competitive elections in United Kingdom?
Competitive elections in United Kingdom was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest competitive elections recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1832.
What is the lowest competitive elections recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
How does United Kingdom rank for competitive elections?
United Kingdom ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is competitive elections rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Competitive elections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Competitive elections
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.