Justified Political Positions Score by country

Central estimate of the extent to which political elites provide complex, nuanced, and complete justifications for their views when considering important policy changes.

Countries reporting
172
Highest
3.74
Germany
Lowest
-2.76
Cameroon
Median
0.5525
Years covered
126
1900–2025
Data points
20,802

What the numbers show

Justified Political Positions Score is currently reported for 172 countries. The highest value is 3.74 in Germany; the lowest is -2.76 in Cameroon.

The median across all reporting countries is 0.5525, and the mean is 0.5466.

Over the past decade 66 countries rose and 99 fell. The largest increase was in Guyana (up 8,320.0%), and the largest decrease in Nicaragua (down 1,422.5%).

Justified Political Positions Score: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Germany 3.74 2025 unchanged volatile
2 Norway 3.35 2025 unchanged rising
4 Switzerland 3.06 2025 up 5.2% rising
5 South Korea 2.92 2025 up 301.1% volatile
6 Costa Rica 2.91 2025 down 3.9% volatile
7 Uruguay 2.73 2025 up 52.7% volatile
8 South Africa 2.47 2025 up 55.7% volatile
9 Japan 2.46 2025 down 18.8% volatile
10 Finland 2.41 2025 unchanged volatile
11 Netherlands 2.35 2025 up 14.2% rising
13 Canada 2.23 2025 up 16.2% flat
14 Denmark 2.2 2025 down 13.8% rising
15 Mauritius 2.18 2025 up 42.1% volatile
16 France 2.14 2025 down 21.8% volatile
17 Singapore 2.13 2025 unchanged rising
18 Dominican Republic 2.12 2025 up 136.1% volatile
19 Australia 2.06 2025 down 0.5% rising
20 Poland 2.05 2025 up 149.0% volatile
20 Trinidad and Tobago 2.05 2025 up 4.7% volatile
22 Seychelles 2.05 2025 up 98.0% volatile
23 Cape Verde 2.02 2025 up 7.2% volatile
24 Kenya 2 2025 up 115.3% volatile
25 Slovenia 1.92 2025 down 5.3% volatile
26 Sweden 1.9 2025 down 41.6% volatile
27 Portugal 1.88 2025 down 31.2% volatile
28 Barbados 1.81 2025 down 30.7% volatile
29 United Kingdom 1.78 2025 up 32.5% rising
30 Zambia 1.77 2025 up 169.9% volatile
31 Kuwait 1.75 2025 up 23.0% volatile
33 Belgium 1.7 2025 down 23.8% volatile
34 Jamaica 1.69 2025 down 4.6% volatile
35 Suriname 1.66 2025 up 406.4% volatile
36 Togo 1.64 2025 up 13.1% volatile
37 Brazil 1.62 2025 down 25.7% volatile
38 Moldova 1.6 2025 up 100.4% volatile
39 Ghana 1.6 2025 up 37.7% volatile
40 Liberia 1.57 2025 down 25.6% volatile
41 Guatemala 1.56 2025 up 426.6% volatile
42 Taiwan 1.55 2025 up 1.2% volatile
43 Cyprus 1.49 2025 down 10.0% volatile
44 Chile 1.48 2025 down 41.1% volatile
45 Latvia 1.44 2025 up 1.4% volatile
46 Bhutan 1.4 2025 down 8.1% volatile
47 Iceland 1.36 2025 down 17.7% rising
48 Iraq 1.36 2025 up 25.9% volatile
49 Niger 1.36 2025 up 15.7% volatile
50 Croatia 1.29 2025 down 18.3% volatile
51 Gambia 1.28 2025 up 421.9% volatile
52 Vanuatu 1.26 2025 up 35.7% volatile
53 Greece 1.25 2025 down 14.0% volatile
54 Austria 1.24 2025 down 31.3% volatile
55 Fiji 1.23 2025 up 57.1% volatile
56 Sao Tome and Principe 1.17 2025 unchanged volatile
57 Kazakhstan 1.16 2025 up 1,060.0% volatile
58 Czechia 1.16 2025 down 0.8% volatile
59 Spain 1.15 2025 down 22.3% volatile
60 Benin 1.15 2025 down 27.7% volatile
61 Sri Lanka 1.15 2025 down 12.6% volatile
62 Georgia 1.1 2025 down 12.3% volatile
63 Senegal 1.08 2025 down 30.4% volatile
64 Maldives 1.07 2025 up 139.5% volatile
65 Morocco 1.06 2025 down 19.5% volatile
66 Rwanda 1.04 2025 up 0.7% volatile
67 Nigeria 1.04 2025 up 21.5% volatile
68 Libya 1.04 2025 up 151.1% volatile
69 Lebanon 0.978 2025 down 9.9% volatile
70 Sierra Leone 0.951 2025 up 11.5% volatile
71 Lithuania 0.913 2025 down 30.2% volatile
72 East Timor 0.909 2025 up 82.2% volatile
73 Bulgaria 0.908 2025 up 123.6% volatile
73 New Zealand 0.908 2025 down 24.7% rising
75 Indonesia 0.866 2025 down 38.3% volatile
76 Italy 0.864 2025 down 64.4% volatile
77 Estonia 0.855 2025 down 46.4% volatile
78 Malaysia 0.83 2025 up 88.2% volatile
79 Haiti 0.79 2025 down 0.3% volatile
80 Ukraine 0.785 2025 down 35.8% volatile
81 Malawi 0.774 2025 up 0.5% volatile
82 Tunisia 0.773 2025 down 31.0% volatile
83 Montenegro 0.74 2025 down 39.3% volatile
84 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.705 2025 up 241.6% volatile
85 Mongolia 0.691 2025 up 39.9% volatile
86 India 0.67 2025 down 47.0% volatile
87 Vietnam 0.58 2025 down 34.9% falling
88 North Macedonia 0.56 2025 down 37.8% volatile
89 Armenia 0.554 2025 up 338.8% volatile
90 Namibia 0.551 2025 down 53.6% volatile
91 Colombia 0.546 2025 down 48.8% volatile
92 Ethiopia 0.523 2025 up 2,373.9% volatile
93 Somalia 0.518 2025 up 1,002.1% volatile
94 Philippines 0.514 2025 down 73.1% volatile
95 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.492 2025 up 159.3% rising
96 Mali 0.469 2025 down 18.3% volatile
97 Uzbekistan 0.439 2025 up 124.7% volatile
98 Qatar 0.424 2025 up 193.6% volatile
99 Guyana 0.421 2025 up 8,320.0% volatile
99 United States 0.421 2025 down 85.0% rising
101 Lesotho 0.418 2025 down 58.0% volatile
101 Zimbabwe 0.418 2025 down 29.3% volatile
103 Uganda 0.394 2025 down 26.8% volatile
104 El Salvador 0.389 2025 down 43.9% volatile
105 Syria 0.354 2025 up 116.1% falling
106 Panama 0.348 2025 down 75.5% volatile
107 Thailand 0.307 2025 up 113.6% volatile
108 Argentina 0.257 2025 down 75.5% volatile
109 Cote d'Ivoire 0.231 2025 down 77.4% volatile
110 China 0.225 2025 down 80.3% volatile
111 Jordan 0.212 2025 down 63.6% volatile
112 Tanzania 0.184 2025 down 81.9% volatile
113 Bangladesh 0.175 2025 up 131.4% volatile
114 Serbia 0.167 2025 down 60.4% volatile
115 Ecuador 0.148 2025 down 82.9% volatile
116 Mozambique 0.083 2025 down 82.0% volatile
117 Solomon Islands 0.074 2025 down 83.4% volatile
118 Iran 0.038 2025 down 97.5% volatile
119 Cuba 0.036 2025 down 84.7% volatile
120 Congo 0.01 2025 up 103.6% volatile
121 Gabon 0.004 2025 down 99.8% volatile
122 Madagascar 0 2025 down 100.0% volatile
123 Saudi Arabia -0.026 2025 up 95.6% volatile
124 Mexico -0.052 2025 down 106.5% volatile
125 Djibouti -0.087 2025 down 77.6% volatile
126 Algeria -0.093 2025 down 117.9% volatile
127 Honduras -0.107 2025 up 58.4% volatile
128 Mauritania -0.136 2025 up 84.4% volatile
129 Israel -0.141 2025 down 119.1% volatile
130 Romania -0.161 2025 down 111.3% volatile
131 Burkina Faso -0.17 2025 down 116.0% volatile
132 Chad -0.186 2025 up 56.1% volatile
133 Nepal -0.203 2025 down 127.1% volatile
134 Angola -0.236 2025 up 59.6% volatile
135 Botswana -0.246 2025 down 132.0% volatile
136 Peru -0.267 2025 down 131.2% volatile
137 Kyrgyzstan -0.278 2025 down 127.0% volatile
138 Laos -0.329 2025 up 66.7% volatile
139 Cambodia -0.499 2025 down 945.8% volatile
140 Egypt -0.513 2025 down 757.7% volatile
141 Hungary -0.519 2025 down 383.6% volatile
142 Russia -0.534 2025 down 81.0% volatile
143 Central African Republic -0.571 2025 down 226.3% volatile
144 Slovakia -0.575 2025 down 178.3% volatile
145 United Arab Emirates -0.579 2025 unchanged volatile
146 Tajikistan -0.598 2025 up 37.5% volatile
147 Myanmar -0.631 2025 down 160.0% volatile
148 Bahrain -0.65 2025 up 50.6% rising
149 Hong Kong -0.677 2025 down 158.1% volatile
150 Burundi -0.689 2025 up 6.6% volatile
151 Pakistan -0.691 2025 down 13.3% volatile
152 Albania -0.767 2025 down 965.3% volatile
153 Oman -0.823 2025 up 4.2% rising
154 Comoros -0.84 2025 down 300.5% volatile
155 Papua New Guinea -0.871 2025 down 924.7% volatile
156 Turkey -0.93 2025 down 252.3% volatile
157 Paraguay -0.945 2025 up 18.0% rising
158 Eritrea -0.999 2025 up 42.0% volatile
159 Sudan -1.1 2025 up 0.3% rising
160 Bolivia -1.12 2025 down 228.7% volatile
161 Azerbaijan -1.13 2025 up 38.3% volatile
162 Turkmenistan -1.16 2025 up 45.6% volatile
163 Guinea -1.37 2025 down 199.6% volatile
164 Guinea-Bissau -1.42 2025 down 879.7% volatile
165 Afghanistan -1.52 2025 down 211.2% rising
166 Equatorial Guinea -1.82 2025 down 64.3% rising
167 Eswatini -1.83 2025 down 105.6% falling
168 Palestine -1.95 1948 unchanged flat
169 Nicaragua -1.96 2025 down 1,422.5% volatile
170 North Korea -2 2025 down 22.3% volatile
171 Belarus -2.04 2025 down 110.5% volatile
172 Yemen -2.09 2025 down 4.6% volatile
173 South Sudan -2.41 2025 down 57.9% rising
174 Venezuela -2.5 2025 down 117.4% volatile
175 Cameroon -2.76 2025 down 95.8% falling

About this data

Indicator
Justified Political Positions Score
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
175 places, 20,802 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which political elites provide complex, nuanced, and complete justifications for their views when considering important policy changes.