Democratic Electoral Institutions Score in Japan

Japan: Democratic Electoral Institutions Score was 12 in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
12
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
12
in 2005
All-time low
12
in 2005
Years of data
21
2005–2025

Democratic Electoral Institutions Score in Japan, 2005–2025

02.557.51012.52005201520252005: 122006: 122007: 122008: 122009: 122010: 122011: 122012: 122013: 122014: 122015: 122016: 122017: 122018: 122019: 122020: 122021: 122022: 122023: 122024: 122025: 12

Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for democratic electoral institutions score in Japan is 12, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democratic electoral institutions score in Japan peaked at 12 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 12, in 2005.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 12 12 12 5
2010s 12 12 12 10
2020s 12 12 12 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 1 Andorra 12 compare
  2. 1 Australia 12 compare
  3. 1 Austria 12 compare
  4. 1 Bahamas 12 compare
  5. 1 Barbados 12 compare
  6. 1 Belgium 12 compare
  7. 1 Bhutan 12 compare
  8. 1 Canada 12 compare
  9. 1 Cape Verde 12 compare
  10. 1 Chile 12 compare
  11. 1 Costa Rica 12 compare
  12. 1 Croatia 12 compare
  13. 1 Cyprus 12 compare
  14. 1 Czechia 12 compare
  15. 1 Denmark 12 compare
  16. 1 Estonia 12 compare
  17. 1 Finland 12 compare
  18. 1 France 12 compare
  19. 1 Germany 12 compare
  20. 1 Ghana 12 compare
  21. 1 Greece 12 compare
  22. 1 Iceland 12 compare
  23. 1 Israel 12 compare
  24. 1 Italy 12 compare
  25. 1 Latvia 12 compare
  26. 1 Lithuania 12 compare
  27. 1 Marshall Islands 12 compare
  28. 1 Micronesia (country) 12 compare
  29. 1 Netherlands 12 compare
  30. 1 New Zealand 12 compare
  31. 1 Norway 12 compare
  32. 1 Palau 12 compare
  33. 1 Panama 12 compare
  34. 1 Portugal 12 compare
  35. 1 Puerto Rico 12 compare
  36. 1 Romania 12 compare
  37. 1 San Marino 12 compare
  38. 1 Seychelles 12 compare
  39. 1 Slovakia 12 compare
  40. 1 Slovenia 12 compare
  41. 1 South Africa 12 compare
  42. 1 Spain 12 compare
  43. 1 Suriname 12 compare
  44. 1 Sweden 12 compare
  45. 1 Switzerland 12 compare
  46. 1 Taiwan 12 compare
  47. 1 Tuvalu 12 compare
  48. 1 United Kingdom 12 compare
  49. 1 Uruguay 12 compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is democratic electoral institutions score in Japan?
Democratic electoral institutions score in Japan was 12 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democratic electoral institutions score recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 12 in 2005.
What is the lowest democratic electoral institutions score recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 12 in 2005.
How does Japan rank for democratic electoral institutions score?
Japan ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is democratic electoral institutions score rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democratic Electoral Institutions Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Democratic Electoral Institutions Score
Source
Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
197 places, 4,121 data points, 2005–2025
Last refreshed

The variable identifies the extent to which the chief executive and legislature are chosen in free and fair elections under universal suffrage. Higher scores indicate a freer electoral process.