Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Vatican
Vatican: Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government was 26.0% in 1869. ▼ Falling
Latest (1869)
26.0%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
174th
of 174 countries
All-time high
91.0%
in 1815
All-time low
0.0%
in 1798
Years of data
75
1789–1869
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Vatican, 1789–1869
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Vatican is 26.0%, measured in 1869.
The figure is down 70.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Vatican peaked at 91.0% in 1815 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1798.
That places Vatican 174th out of 174 countries with data for 1869, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 75 years of available data.
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Vatican, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1789 | 90.0% | — |
| 1790 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1791 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1792 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1793 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1794 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1795 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1796 | 52.0% | -42.2% |
| 1797 | 47.0% | -9.6% |
| 1798 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1799 | 0.0% | — |
| 1800 | 50.0% | — |
| 1801 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1802 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1803 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1804 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1805 | 48.0% | -4.0% |
| 1806 | 48.0% | +0.0% |
| 1807 | 48.0% | +0.0% |
| 1808 | 48.0% | +0.0% |
| 1814 | 52.0% | +8.3% |
| 1815 | 91.0% | +75.0% |
| 1816 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1817 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1818 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1819 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1820 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1821 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1822 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1823 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1824 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1825 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1826 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1827 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1828 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1829 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1830 | 91.0% | +0.0% |
| 1831 | 40.0% | -56.0% |
| 1832 | 50.0% | +25.0% |
| 1833 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1834 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1835 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1836 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1837 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1838 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1839 | 50.0% | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 85.0% | +70.0% |
| 1841 | 85.0% | +0.0% |
| 1842 | 85.0% | +0.0% |
| 1843 | 73.0% | -14.1% |
| 1844 | 85.0% | +16.4% |
| 1845 | 85.0% | +0.0% |
| 1846 | 85.0% | +0.0% |
| 1847 | 85.0% | +0.0% |
| 1848 | 85.0% | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 88.0% | +3.5% |
| 1851 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 1852 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 1853 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 1854 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 1857 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 1858 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 1859 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 1860 | 26.0% | -70.5% |
| 1861 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
| 1862 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
| 1866 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
| 1867 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
| 1868 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
| 1869 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 90.0% | 90.0% | 90.0% | 1 |
| 1790s | 63.9% | 0.0% | 90.0% | 10 |
| 1800s | 49.1% | 48.0% | 50.0% | 9 |
| 1810s | 84.5% | 52.0% | 91.0% | 6 |
| 1820s | 91.0% | 91.0% | 91.0% | 10 |
| 1830s | 53.1% | 40.0% | 91.0% | 10 |
| 1840s | 83.7% | 73.0% | 85.0% | 9 |
| 1850s | 88.0% | 88.0% | 88.0% | 10 |
| 1860s | 26.0% | 26.0% | 26.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Vatican
More reference data data for Vatican
- Chief executive of the government is chosen in multi-party elections 0 (1861)
- Equality of Civil Liberties across Social Groups Score -2.58 (1870)
- Private Civil Liberties Index 0.072 (1870)
- Elected Political Leaders Index 0 (1870)
- Free and Fair Elections Index 0.22 (1870)
- Individual Liberties and Equality before the Law Index 0.154 (1870)
- Participatory Political Institutions Index 0.036 (1870)
- Democracy 0 (1861)
- Elite Consultations Score -2.07 (1870)
- Civil Society Participation Index 0.106 (1870)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Vatican?
- Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Vatican was 26.0% in 1869, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest percentage of territory effectively controlled by government recorded in Vatican?
- The highest recorded value was 91.0% in 1815.
- What is the lowest percentage of territory effectively controlled by government recorded in Vatican?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1798.
- How does Vatican rank for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government?
- Vatican ranks 174th out of 174 countries with data for 1869.
- Is percentage of territory effectively controlled by government rising or falling in Vatican?
- Over the last ten years it is down 70.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vatican data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.