Democracy in Portugal
Portugal: Democracy was 6 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Democracy in Portugal, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, democracy in Portugal stood at 6.
That represents a change of down 14.3% on the previous year and down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in Portugal peaked at 9 in 1977 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
Portugal ranks 42nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 2.4 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.8 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.3 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.6 | 0 | 9 | 10 |
| 1980s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 1990s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2000s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.5 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 42 Argentina 6 compare
- 42 Armenia 6 compare
- 42 Bolivia 6 compare
- 42 Botswana 6 compare
- 42 Bulgaria 6 compare
- 42 Cape Verde 6 compare
- 42 Colombia 6 compare
- 42 Croatia 6 compare
- 42 Dominican Republic 6 compare
- 42 East Timor 6 compare
- 42 Ecuador 6 compare
- 42 Ghana 6 compare
- 42 Greece 6 compare
- 42 Guatemala 6 compare
- 42 Jamaica 6 compare
- 42 Lesotho 6 compare
- 42 Liberia 6 compare
- 42 Nepal 6 compare
- 42 Panama 6 compare
- 42 Paraguay 6 compare
- 42 Peru 6 compare
- 42 Poland 6 compare
- 42 Romania 6 compare
- 42 Sao Tome and Principe 6 compare
- 42 Senegal 6 compare
- 42 Slovakia 6 compare
- 42 Slovenia 6 compare
- 42 Solomon Islands 6 compare
- 42 South Africa 6 compare
- 42 Sri Lanka 6 compare
- 42 Suriname 6 compare
More reference data data for Portugal
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.5537 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 2.05 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.3824 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies -0.3904 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.0004 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.05 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy in Portugal?
- Democracy in Portugal was 6 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 1977.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does Portugal rank for democracy?
- Portugal ranks 42nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Portugal 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 — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.