Democracy in Bhutan

Bhutan: Democracy was 5 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
5
Change on year
down 28.6%
World rank
74th
of 176 countries
All-time high
8
in 2009
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Democracy in Bhutan, 1900–2025

02468190019622025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for democracy in Bhutan is 5, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.6% on the previous year and down 28.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in Bhutan peaked at 8 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.

Bhutan ranks 74th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0 0 0 10
1950s 0 0 0 10
1960s 0 0 0 10
1970s 0 0 0 10
1980s 0 0 0 10
1990s 0 0 0 10
2000s 1.2 0 8 10
2010s 7.1 5 8 10
2020s 7.17 5 8 6

Countries ranked near Bhutan

  1. 74 Fiji 5 compare
  2. 74 Guyana 5 compare
  3. 74 Honduras 5 compare
  4. 74 Kenya 5 compare
  5. 74 Malawi 5 compare
  6. 74 Malaysia 5 compare
  7. 74 Maldives 5 compare
  8. 74 Moldova 5 compare
  9. 74 Mongolia 5 compare
  10. 74 Namibia 5 compare
  11. 74 Nigeria 5 compare
  12. 74 North Macedonia 5 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Bhutan

All data for Bhutan →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Bhutan?
Democracy in Bhutan was 5 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Bhutan?
The highest recorded value was 8 in 2009.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Bhutan?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
How does Bhutan rank for democracy?
Bhutan ranks 74th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is democracy rising or falling in Bhutan?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bhutan data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. 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
Democracy
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,594 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Political regime of a country using the Regimes of the World classification by political scientists Anna Lührmann, Marcus Tannenberg and Staffan Lindberg, including ambiguous categories.