Political Polarization Score in Australia
Australia: Political Polarization Score was -1.16 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
-1.16
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
141st
of 174 countries
All-time high
-1.1
in 2014
All-time low
-3.27
in 1919
Years of data
125
1901–2025
Political Polarization Score in Australia, 1901–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, political polarization score in Australia stood at -1.16.
The figure is down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political polarization score in Australia peaked at -1.1 in 2014 and was at its lowest, -3.27, in 1919.
Australia ranks 141st of 174 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 125 years of available data.
Political Polarization Score in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | -2.24 | — |
| 1902 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -2.24 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -2.83 | +26.1% |
| 1915 | -2.83 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -2.83 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -2.83 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -2.83 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -3.27 | +15.6% |
| 1920 | -3.27 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -2.68 | -18.0% |
| 1922 | -2.68 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -2.68 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -2.68 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -2.68 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -2.68 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -2.68 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -2.68 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -2.68 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -2.27 | -15.4% |
| 1931 | -2.27 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -2.27 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -2.27 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -2.27 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -2.27 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -2.27 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -2.27 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -2.27 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -2.76 | +21.8% |
| 1940 | -2.76 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -2.76 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -2.76 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -2.76 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -2.76 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -2.76 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -1.74 | -36.9% |
| 1947 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -1.74 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -1.48 | -15.3% |
| 1968 | -1.48 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -1.48 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -1.11 | -24.5% |
| 1971 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -1.33 | +19.5% |
| 1994 | -1.33 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -1.33 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -1.11 | -16.7% |
| 1997 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -1.11 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -1.18 | +6.3% |
| 2001 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -1.18 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -1.1 | -6.8% |
| 2015 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | -1.16 | +5.4% |
| 2022 | -1.16 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | -1.16 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -1.16 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | -1.16 | -0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's -1.16 is below the median for high income countries, which is -0.532, 2.2× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Australia's -1.16 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is -0.7055, 1.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -2.24 | -2.24 | -2.24 | 9 |
| 1910s | -2.64 | -3.27 | -2.24 | 10 |
| 1920s | -2.74 | -3.27 | -2.68 | 10 |
| 1930s | -2.32 | -2.76 | -2.27 | 10 |
| 1940s | -2.35 | -2.76 | -1.74 | 10 |
| 1950s | -1.74 | -1.74 | -1.74 | 10 |
| 1960s | -1.66 | -1.74 | -1.48 | 10 |
| 1970s | -1.11 | -1.11 | -1.11 | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.11 | -1.11 | -1.11 | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.18 | -1.33 | -1.11 | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.18 | -1.18 | -1.18 | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.13 | -1.18 | -1.1 | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.15 | -1.16 | -1.1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political polarization score in Australia?
- Political polarization score in Australia was -1.16 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political polarization score recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was -1.1 in 2014.
- What is the lowest political polarization score recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.27 in 1919.
- How does Australia rank for political polarization score?
- Australia ranks 141st out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political polarization score rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Polarization Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 125 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which society is divided into hostile political camps, where political differences undermine social relationships and discourage interaction across ideological lines.