Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government by country

Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.

Countries reporting
173
Highest
100.0%
Argentina
Lowest
26.0%
Vatican
Median
95.2%
Years covered
237
1789–2025
Data points
22,594

What the numbers show

Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government is currently reported for 173 countries. The highest value is 100.0% in Argentina; the lowest is 26.0% in Vatican.

The median across all reporting countries is 95.2%, and the mean is 91.1%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 4.

Over the past decade 79 countries rose and 79 fell. The largest increase was in Somalia (up 56.0%), and the largest decrease in Vatican (down 70.5%).

Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Argentina 100.0% 2025 up 2.7% rising
1 Azerbaijan 100.0% 2025 up 22.5% rising
1 Belarus 100.0% 2025 unchanged rising
1 Barbados 100.0% 2025 up 0.6% flat
1 Switzerland 100.0% 2025 up 0.1% flat
1 Dominican Republic 100.0% 2025 up 7.4% rising
1 Estonia 100.0% 2025 unchanged rising
1 Finland 100.0% 2025 up 0.5% flat
1 Croatia 100.0% 2025 unchanged flat
1 Hungary 100.0% 2025 unchanged rising
1 Kazakhstan 100.0% 2025 up 0.7% rising
1 Lithuania 100.0% 2025 unchanged rising
1 Luxembourg 100.0% 2025 unchanged rising
1 Malta 100.0% 2025 unchanged flat
1 Poland 100.0% 2025 up 2.6% rising
1 El Salvador 100.0% 2025 up 6.1% rising
1 Sao Tome and Principe 100.0% 2025 up 0.7% flat
1 Slovakia 100.0% 2025 unchanged flat
1 Taiwan 100.0% 2025 up 1.7% flat
3 Ireland 98.4% 2025 up 1.7% flat
18 Czechia 99.9% 2025 unchanged flat
19 Uruguay 99.9% 2025 up 0.9% rising
20 Belgium 99.9% 2025 unchanged rising
20 Bulgaria 99.9% 2025 unchanged rising
20 Spain 99.9% 2025 up 1.3% rising
23 Austria 99.9% 2025 down 0.1% flat
23 Rwanda 99.9% 2025 down 0.1% flat
25 Iceland 99.8% 2025 down 0.1% flat
25 New Zealand 99.8% 2025 unchanged flat
25 North Korea 99.8% 2025 up 2.1% flat
28 Bangladesh 99.8% 2025 up 1.2% rising
28 Kyrgyzstan 99.8% 2025 up 3.1% flat
30 Turkmenistan 99.8% 2025 up 1.0% rising
31 Germany 99.7% 2025 up 8.7% rising
32 Slovenia 99.6% 2025 up 0.3% rising
33 Algeria 99.5% 2025 up 9.7% rising
33 Seychelles 99.5% 2025 up 3.8% flat
35 United Kingdom 99.3% 2025 up 0.9% flat
36 Vanuatu 99.1% 2025 up 0.5% flat
37 Cape Verde 99.0% 2025 down 1.0% flat
37 Mongolia 99.0% 2025 up 0.2% rising
37 Netherlands 99.0% 2025 down 1.0% rising
37 Qatar 99.0% 2025 up 1.2% rising
37 Sweden 99.0% 2025 down 0.9% flat
37 Zimbabwe 99.0% 2025 down 0.4% rising
43 Denmark 98.9% 2025 unchanged rising
44 South Korea 98.9% 2025 down 1.0% flat
45 Sri Lanka 98.8% 2025 down 0.9% falling
45 Saudi Arabia 98.8% 2025 down 0.7% rising
47 Malaysia 98.8% 2025 up 1.0% flat
48 Montenegro 98.6% 2025 down 1.4% flat
49 Greece 98.5% 2025 down 0.4% rising
50 Botswana 98.3% 2025 up 0.1% flat
50 France 98.3% 2025 up 3.0% rising
50 Jordan 98.3% 2025 up 0.8% flat
53 Laos 98.2% 2025 up 3.0% rising
53 Uzbekistan 98.2% 2025 down 0.7% flat
55 Guyana 98.0% 2025 down 0.1% flat
55 Norway 98.0% 2025 down 1.8% flat
55 Vietnam 98.0% 2025 up 5.4% flat
59 Equatorial Guinea 97.8% 2025 up 4.2% flat
60 Tanzania 97.8% 2025 up 2.5% flat
61 Namibia 97.8% 2025 up 0.5% flat
62 Romania 97.7% 2025 down 1.9% flat
63 Kuwait 97.6% 2025 up 0.2% flat
64 Portugal 97.5% 2025 up 0.3% flat
65 United States 97.5% 2025 down 1.1% rising
66 Iraq 97.2% 2025 up 48.2% rising
67 Eritrea 97.2% 2025 down 0.8% falling
68 China 97.1% 2025 unchanged falling
69 Canada 97.0% 2025 down 0.9% flat
69 Thailand 97.0% 2025 up 0.8% rising
71 Cuba 96.8% 2025 down 2.0% flat
72 Latvia 96.7% 2025 down 0.8% rising
73 Angola 96.2% 2025 up 3.0% rising
73 Albania 96.2% 2025 down 0.8% rising
73 Bhutan 96.2% 2025 up 0.8% falling
73 Japan 96.2% 2025 down 1.3% rising
77 United Arab Emirates 96.0% 2025 up 0.8% flat
77 Armenia 96.0% 2025 down 4.0% rising
79 Bahrain 95.8% 2025 down 2.0% flat
80 East Timor 95.7% 2025 down 1.4% flat
81 Nepal 95.6% 2025 up 9.3% rising
82 Ghana 95.6% 2025 down 1.2% rising
83 Sierra Leone 95.5% 2025 down 2.2% rising
84 Maldives 95.4% 2025 down 2.4% flat
85 Indonesia 95.2% 2025 up 0.1% rising
85 Russia 95.2% 2025 down 3.5% rising
87 Jamaica 95.1% 2025 unchanged flat
88 Burundi 95.0% 2025 up 1.2% flat
88 Fiji 95.0% 2025 up 1.5% flat
88 India 95.0% 2025 up 8.2% falling
88 Philippines 95.0% 2025 up 2.3% rising
88 Singapore 95.0% 2025 up 11.8% rising
88 Eswatini 95.0% 2025 up 3.0% flat
94 Serbia 94.9% 2025 up 1.4% rising
95 Israel 94.8% 2025 down 1.7% rising
95 Turkey 94.8% 2025 up 0.6% rising
95 South Africa 94.8% 2025 down 0.9% rising
98 Gambia 94.7% 2025 down 2.6% flat
99 Costa Rica 94.6% 2025 down 1.8% flat
100 Egypt 94.5% 2025 up 6.8% rising
101 North Macedonia 94.4% 2025 down 1.4% rising
102 Lesotho 94.4% 2025 up 18.9% rising
103 Uganda 94.3% 2025 down 3.0% rising
104 Tunisia 94.1% 2025 up 1.8% rising
105 Tajikistan 94.0% 2025 up 4.7% flat
106 Zambia 93.8% 2025 down 3.7% flat
107 Trinidad and Tobago 92.5% 2025 down 3.2% flat
108 Australia 92.4% 2025 down 2.9% flat
109 Liberia 91.8% 2025 down 0.7% rising
110 Brazil 90.8% 2025 up 2.2% flat
111 Morocco 90.8% 2025 down 2.0% rising
112 Senegal 90.8% 2025 down 2.2% falling
113 Solomon Islands 90.7% 2025 up 7.2% rising
114 Panama 90.2% 2025 up 4.8% rising
115 Benin 90.0% 2025 up 3.2% rising
115 Cote d'Ivoire 90.0% 2025 up 2.3% falling
115 Ecuador 90.0% 2025 down 6.7% rising
115 Oman 90.0% 2025 down 7.0% rising
119 Malawi 89.8% 2025 down 9.1% flat
120 Guinea 88.8% 2025 up 2.8% flat
121 Moldova 88.5% 2025 up 12.3% rising
122 Guatemala 88.3% 2025 down 2.8% flat
123 Mauritania 87.9% 2025 down 2.5% falling
124 Cambodia 87.6% 2025 down 8.9% rising
124 Peru 87.6% 2025 down 4.6% flat
126 Italy 87.4% 2025 down 4.1% falling
127 Iran 86.8% 2025 down 2.7% rising
128 Honduras 86.5% 2025 down 2.2% rising
128 Mexico 86.5% 2025 down 0.2% rising
130 Cameroon 86.4% 2025 down 8.9% falling
131 Kenya 86.2% 2025 down 5.3% flat
132 Gabon 86.0% 2025 up 2.2% flat
133 Mozambique 85.7% 2025 down 1.8% rising
134 Chad 85.3% 2025 up 7.8% rising
135 Bosnia and Herzegovina 85.3% 2025 down 11.1% rising
136 Mauritius 85.0% 2025 down 6.4% flat
137 Madagascar 84.5% 2025 up 7.6% rising
138 Venezuela 84.0% 2025 down 3.7% rising
139 Georgia 83.1% 2025 up 3.9% rising
140 Bolivia 83.0% 2025 down 11.7% rising
140 Togo 83.0% 2025 down 1.1% flat
142 Nicaragua 82.6% 2025 down 10.4% rising
143 Guinea-Bissau 82.5% 2025 down 5.0% falling
144 Comoros 82.2% 2025 up 6.9% rising
145 Colombia 82.0% 2025 up 1.2% rising
146 Niger 80.8% 2025 up 24.1% falling
147 Central African Republic 80.7% 2025 up 35.6% falling
147 Chile 80.7% 2025 down 16.9% rising
149 Afghanistan 79.5% 2025 up 39.2% flat
150 Burkina Faso 79.0% 2025 down 6.0% falling
151 Pakistan 78.9% 2025 down 7.1% falling
152 Nigeria 78.2% 2025 down 6.0% flat
153 Congo 78.2% 2025 down 5.0% rising
154 Mali 77.8% 2025 up 1.8% flat
155 Lebanon 77.0% 2025 down 1.8% rising
156 Paraguay 76.0% 2025 down 7.2% rising
157 Somalia 74.7% 2025 up 56.0% falling
158 Democratic Republic of Congo 73.6% 2025 down 2.5% flat
159 Papua New Guinea 71.0% 2025 down 18.9% falling
160 Haiti 70.2% 2025 down 24.1% rising
161 Cyprus 70.2% 2025 up 4.6% falling
162 Ukraine 69.0% 2025 down 12.9% falling
163 Ethiopia 68.3% 2025 down 29.7% rising
164 Syria 67.8% 2025 up 45.8% rising
165 Libya 65.6% 2025 up 45.2% flat
166 South Sudan 65.0% 2025 up 0.5% rising
166 Suriname 65.0% 2025 down 10.8% falling
168 Sudan 49.8% 2025 down 27.3% rising
169 Myanmar 49.0% 2025 down 37.1% falling
170 Yemen 47.6% 2025 up 0.2% rising
171 Vatican 26.0% 1869 down 70.5% falling

About this data

Indicator
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government
Unit
%
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
174 places, 22,594 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.