Statizoid

Competitive elections in United States

United States: Competitive elections was 1 in 2025. ▬ Flat

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

Competitive elections in United States, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, competitive elections in United States stood at 1. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

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

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 1 1 1 1
1790s 1 1 1 10
1800s 1 1 1 10
1810s 1 1 1 10
1820s 1 1 1 10
1830s 1 1 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 States

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  24. 1 Cyprus 1 compare
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  27. 1 Dominica 1 compare
  28. 1 Dominican Republic 1 compare
  29. 1 East Timor 1 compare
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  48. 1 Israel 1 compare
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  50. 1 Jamaica 1 compare
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See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is competitive elections in United States?
Competitive elections in United States was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest competitive elections recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1789.
What is the lowest competitive elections recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1789.
How does United States rank for competitive elections?
United States ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is competitive elections rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this United States 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.