Judicial Checks on Government Index in United States

United States: Judicial Checks on Government Index was 0.844 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.844
Change on year
down 6.4%
World rank
45th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.962
in 2016
All-time low
0.844
in 2025
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Judicial Checks on Government Index in United States, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, judicial checks on government index in United States stood at 0.844. That is the lowest value across all 237 years on record.

The figure is down 6.4% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, judicial checks on government index in United States peaked at 0.962 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.844, in 2025.

That places United States 45th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.899 0.899 0.899 1
1790s 0.8882 0.845 0.899 10
1800s 0.898 0.898 0.898 10
1810s 0.898 0.898 0.898 10
1820s 0.898 0.898 0.898 10
1830s 0.898 0.898 0.898 10
1840s 0.898 0.898 0.898 10
1850s 0.898 0.898 0.898 10
1860s 0.8906 0.848 0.942 10
1870s 0.942 0.942 0.942 10
1880s 0.942 0.942 0.942 10
1890s 0.942 0.942 0.942 10
1900s 0.942 0.942 0.942 10
1910s 0.9411 0.939 0.942 10
1920s 0.934 0.934 0.934 10
1930s 0.939 0.933 0.942 10
1940s 0.9264 0.92 0.936 10
1950s 0.9145 0.893 0.936 10
1960s 0.8962 0.893 0.925 10
1970s 0.9414 0.938 0.944 10
1980s 0.944 0.944 0.944 10
1990s 0.944 0.944 0.944 10
2000s 0.9493 0.947 0.954 10
2010s 0.953 0.931 0.962 10
2020s 0.9107 0.844 0.93 6

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 42 Cyprus 0.85 compare
  2. 42 Mauritius 0.85 compare
  3. 44 Colombia 0.846 compare
  4. 46 Moldova 0.841 compare
  5. 47 Suriname 0.839 compare
  6. 48 Ghana 0.827 compare
  7. 48 Trinidad and Tobago 0.827 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is judicial checks on government index in United States?
Judicial checks on government index in United States was 0.844 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest judicial checks on government index recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 0.962 in 2016.
What is the lowest judicial checks on government index recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 0.844 in 2025.
How does United States rank for judicial checks on government index?
United States ranks 45th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is judicial checks on government index rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Judicial Checks on Government Index. 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
Judicial Checks on Government Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,297 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which the executive respects the constitution, complies with the judiciary and high courts, and higher and lower courts are independent.