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Free and fair elections in United States

United States: Free and fair elections was 1 in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 172 countries
All-time high
1
in 1790
All-time low
0
in 1876
Years of data
236
1790–2025

Free and fair elections in United States, 1790–2025

00.20.40.60.81179019072025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for free and fair elections in United States is 1, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 236 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, free and fair elections in United States peaked at 1 in 1790 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1876.

That places United States 1st out of 172 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
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 0.8 0 1 10
1880s 0.6 0 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

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See the full ranking of 172 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is free and fair elections in United States?
Free and fair elections in United States was 1 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest free and fair elections recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1790.
What is the lowest free and fair elections recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1876.
How does United States rank for free and fair elections?
United States ranks 1st out of 172 countries with data for 2025.
Is free and fair 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 V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Free and fair elections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 236 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Free and fair elections
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 17,000 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of whether national elections were free and fair or not.