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Participatory Political Institutions Index in United States

United States: Participatory Political Institutions Index was 0.645 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.645
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
20th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.661
in 2016
All-time low
0.494
in 1795
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Participatory Political Institutions Index in United States, 1789–2025

00.20.40.6178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, participatory political institutions index in United States stood at 0.645.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, participatory political institutions index in United States peaked at 0.661 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.494, in 1795.

That places United States 20th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Participatory Political Institutions Index in United States, year by year

Year Value Change
1789 0.501 —
1790 0.501 +0.0%
1791 0.501 +0.0%
1792 0.501 +0.0%
1793 0.501 +0.0%
1794 0.501 +0.0%
1795 0.494 -1.4%
1796 0.494 +0.0%
1797 0.494 +0.0%
1798 0.494 +0.0%
1799 0.494 +0.0%
1800 0.494 +0.0%
1801 0.494 +0.0%
1802 0.494 +0.0%
1803 0.494 +0.0%
1804 0.494 +0.0%
1805 0.494 +0.0%
1806 0.494 +0.0%
1807 0.494 +0.0%
1808 0.494 +0.0%
1809 0.494 +0.0%
1810 0.494 +0.0%
1811 0.494 +0.0%
1812 0.494 +0.0%
1813 0.494 +0.0%
1814 0.494 +0.0%
1815 0.494 +0.0%
1816 0.494 +0.0%
1817 0.494 +0.0%
1818 0.494 +0.0%
1819 0.494 +0.0%
1820 0.494 +0.0%
1821 0.494 +0.0%
1822 0.494 +0.0%
1823 0.494 +0.0%
1824 0.494 +0.0%
1825 0.494 +0.0%
1826 0.494 +0.0%
1827 0.494 +0.0%
1828 0.508 +2.8%
1829 0.508 +0.0%
1830 0.508 +0.0%
1831 0.508 +0.0%
1832 0.508 +0.0%
1833 0.508 +0.0%
1834 0.511 +0.6%
1835 0.513 +0.4%
1836 0.513 +0.0%
1837 0.513 +0.0%
1838 0.513 +0.0%
1839 0.513 +0.0%
1840 0.513 +0.0%
1841 0.513 +0.0%
1842 0.513 +0.0%
1843 0.513 +0.0%
1844 0.513 +0.0%
1845 0.513 +0.0%
1846 0.513 +0.0%
1847 0.513 +0.0%
1848 0.513 +0.0%
1849 0.513 +0.0%
1850 0.513 +0.0%
1851 0.513 +0.0%
1852 0.513 +0.0%
1853 0.513 +0.0%
1854 0.513 +0.0%
1855 0.513 +0.0%
1856 0.513 +0.0%
1857 0.513 +0.0%
1858 0.513 +0.0%
1859 0.513 +0.0%
1860 0.564 +9.9%
1861 0.564 +0.0%
1862 0.564 +0.0%
1863 0.564 +0.0%
1864 0.564 +0.0%
1865 0.564 +0.0%
1866 0.58 +2.8%
1867 0.58 +0.0%
1868 0.58 +0.0%
1869 0.58 +0.0%
1870 0.58 +0.0%
1871 0.58 +0.0%
1872 0.58 +0.0%
1873 0.58 +0.0%
1874 0.58 +0.0%
1875 0.58 +0.0%
1876 0.58 +0.0%
1877 0.58 +0.0%
1878 0.58 +0.0%
1879 0.58 +0.0%
1880 0.58 +0.0%
1881 0.58 +0.0%
1882 0.58 +0.0%
1883 0.58 +0.0%
1884 0.58 +0.0%
1885 0.58 +0.0%
1886 0.58 +0.0%
1887 0.58 +0.0%
1888 0.58 +0.0%
1889 0.58 +0.0%
1890 0.58 +0.0%
1891 0.58 +0.0%
1892 0.58 +0.0%
1893 0.58 +0.0%
1894 0.58 +0.0%
1895 0.58 +0.0%
1896 0.58 +0.0%
1897 0.58 +0.0%
1898 0.58 +0.0%
1899 0.58 +0.0%
1900 0.58 +0.0%
1901 0.58 +0.0%
1902 0.58 +0.0%
1903 0.58 +0.0%
1904 0.58 +0.0%
1905 0.58 +0.0%
1906 0.58 +0.0%
1907 0.58 +0.0%
1908 0.58 +0.0%
1909 0.58 +0.0%
1910 0.584 +0.7%
1911 0.584 +0.0%
1912 0.584 +0.0%
1913 0.584 +0.0%
1914 0.584 +0.0%
1915 0.591 +1.2%
1916 0.591 +0.0%
1917 0.591 +0.0%
1918 0.591 +0.0%
1919 0.591 +0.0%
1920 0.599 +1.4%
1921 0.599 +0.0%
1922 0.599 +0.0%
1923 0.599 +0.0%
1924 0.599 +0.0%
1925 0.599 +0.0%
1926 0.599 +0.0%
1927 0.599 +0.0%
1928 0.599 +0.0%
1929 0.599 +0.0%
1930 0.599 +0.0%
1931 0.599 +0.0%
1932 0.599 +0.0%
1933 0.62 +3.5%
1934 0.62 +0.0%
1935 0.62 +0.0%
1936 0.62 +0.0%
1937 0.62 +0.0%
1938 0.62 +0.0%
1939 0.62 +0.0%
1940 0.62 +0.0%
1941 0.62 +0.0%
1942 0.616 -0.6%
1943 0.616 +0.0%
1944 0.616 +0.0%
1945 0.616 +0.0%
1946 0.618 +0.3%
1947 0.618 +0.0%
1948 0.618 +0.0%
1949 0.621 +0.5%
1950 0.621 +0.0%
1951 0.621 +0.0%
1952 0.621 +0.0%
1953 0.621 +0.0%
1954 0.621 +0.0%
1955 0.621 +0.0%
1956 0.621 +0.0%
1957 0.621 +0.0%
1958 0.621 +0.0%
1959 0.621 +0.0%
1960 0.621 +0.0%
1961 0.629 +1.3%
1962 0.633 +0.6%
1963 0.633 +0.0%
1964 0.633 +0.0%
1965 0.633 +0.0%
1966 0.633 +0.0%
1967 0.633 +0.0%
1968 0.633 +0.0%
1969 0.633 +0.0%
1970 0.643 +1.6%
1971 0.643 +0.0%
1972 0.643 +0.0%
1973 0.647 +0.6%
1974 0.647 +0.0%
1975 0.649 +0.3%
1976 0.654 +0.8%
1977 0.654 +0.0%
1978 0.654 +0.0%
1979 0.654 +0.0%
1980 0.656 +0.3%
1981 0.656 +0.0%
1982 0.656 +0.0%
1983 0.656 +0.0%
1984 0.656 +0.0%
1985 0.656 +0.0%
1986 0.656 +0.0%
1987 0.656 +0.0%
1988 0.656 +0.0%
1989 0.656 +0.0%
1990 0.659 +0.5%
1991 0.659 +0.0%
1992 0.659 +0.0%
1993 0.659 +0.0%
1994 0.659 +0.0%
1995 0.659 +0.0%
1996 0.659 +0.0%
1997 0.659 +0.0%
1998 0.659 +0.0%
1999 0.659 +0.0%
2000 0.66 +0.2%
2001 0.66 +0.0%
2002 0.66 +0.0%
2003 0.66 +0.0%
2004 0.66 +0.0%
2005 0.66 +0.0%
2006 0.66 +0.0%
2007 0.66 +0.0%
2008 0.66 +0.0%
2009 0.66 +0.0%
2010 0.659 -0.2%
2011 0.659 +0.0%
2012 0.659 +0.0%
2013 0.659 +0.0%
2014 0.659 +0.0%
2015 0.659 +0.0%
2016 0.661 +0.3%
2017 0.661 +0.0%
2018 0.659 -0.3%
2019 0.659 +0.0%
2020 0.658 -0.2%
2021 0.655 -0.5%
2022 0.655 +0.0%
2023 0.656 +0.2%
2024 0.655 -0.2%
2025 0.645 -1.5%

United States compared with similar countries

  • United States's 0.645 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.616, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.501 0.501 0.501 1
1790s 0.4975 0.494 0.501 10
1800s 0.494 0.494 0.494 10
1810s 0.494 0.494 0.494 10
1820s 0.4968 0.494 0.508 10
1830s 0.5108 0.508 0.513 10
1840s 0.513 0.513 0.513 10
1850s 0.513 0.513 0.513 10
1860s 0.5704 0.564 0.58 10
1870s 0.58 0.58 0.58 10
1880s 0.58 0.58 0.58 10
1890s 0.58 0.58 0.58 10
1900s 0.58 0.58 0.58 10
1910s 0.5875 0.584 0.591 10
1920s 0.599 0.599 0.599 10
1930s 0.6137 0.599 0.62 10
1940s 0.6179 0.616 0.621 10
1950s 0.621 0.621 0.621 10
1960s 0.6314 0.621 0.633 10
1970s 0.6488 0.643 0.654 10
1980s 0.656 0.656 0.656 10
1990s 0.659 0.659 0.659 10
2000s 0.66 0.66 0.66 10
2010s 0.6594 0.659 0.661 10
2020s 0.654 0.645 0.658 6

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 18 Iceland 0.646 compare
  2. 18 Zambia 0.646 compare
  3. 21 Bolivia 0.644 compare
  4. 21 Colombia 0.644 compare
  5. 21 Slovakia 0.644 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 participatory political institutions index in United States?
Participatory political institutions index in United States was 0.645 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest participatory political institutions index recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 0.661 in 2016.
What is the lowest participatory political institutions index recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 0.494 in 1795.
How does United States rank for participatory political institutions index?
United States ranks 20th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is participatory political institutions index rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. 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 Participatory Political Institutions Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Participatory Political Institutions Index in United States. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/participatory-political-institutions-index/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Participatory Political Institutions Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,844 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which citizens can engage in regional and local government, civil society organizations, and direct democracy.