Political Polarization Score in Sweden

Sweden: Political Polarization Score was -0.668 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
-0.668
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
123rd
of 174 countries
All-time high
-0.668
in 2024
All-time low
-2.33
in 1970
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Political Polarization Score in Sweden, 1900–2025

-2.5-2-1.5-1-0.5190019622025

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

Analysis

In 2025, political polarization score in Sweden stood at -0.668. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.

The figure is up 62.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, political polarization score in Sweden peaked at -0.668 in 2024 and was at its lowest, -2.33, in 1970.

Sweden ranks 123rd of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 126 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s -0.9415 -1.08 -0.8 10
1910s -0.8 -0.8 -0.8 10
1920s -1.03 -1.03 -1.03 10
1930s -1.49 -1.62 -1.47 10
1940s -1.56 -1.76 -1.5 10
1950s -2.33 -2.33 -2.33 10
1960s -2.27 -2.33 -2.15 10
1970s -2.33 -2.33 -2.33 10
1980s -2.24 -2.33 -2.15 10
1990s -2.28 -2.28 -2.28 10
2000s -2.28 -2.28 -2.28 10
2010s -1.93 -2.08 -1.76 10
2020s -1.24 -1.92 -0.668 6

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 120 Albania -0.616 compare
  2. 121 Cuba -0.626 compare
  3. 122 Portugal -0.641 compare
  4. 124 Suriname -0.73 compare
  5. 125 Democratic Republic of Congo -0.758 compare
  6. 126 Lithuania -0.869 compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More reference data data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is political polarization score in Sweden?
Political polarization score in Sweden was -0.668 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political polarization score recorded in Sweden?
The highest recorded value was -0.668 in 2024.
What is the lowest political polarization score recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was -2.33 in 1970.
How does Sweden rank for political polarization score?
Sweden ranks 123rd out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is political polarization score rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 62.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sweden 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 — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Political Polarization Score
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
174 places, 20,575 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed

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.