Democracy in United States
United States: Democracy was 7 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Democracy in United States, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, democracy in United States stood at 7.
That represents a change of down 12.5% on the previous year and down 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in United States peaked at 9 in 1970 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
United States ranks 32nd 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 | 1.7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1800s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1810s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1820s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1830s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1840s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1850s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1860s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1870s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1880s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1890s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1900s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1910s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1920s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 1930s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 1940s | 5.7 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| 1950s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.6 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| 1970s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 1980s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 1990s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2000s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.9 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.5 | 7 | 9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.51 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.5014 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0594 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.8696 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9189 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 143.86 2010 = 100 (2024)
- 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 United States?
- Democracy in United States was 7 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 1970.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does United States rank for democracy?
- United States ranks 32nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States 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.