Democracy in Iran
Iran: Democracy was 1 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
90th
of 175 countries
All-time high
2
in 1906
All-time low
0
in 1953
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Democracy in Iran, 1900–2025
Source: Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, democracy in Iran stood at 1.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in Iran peaked at 2 in 1906 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1953.
That places Iran 90th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 126 years of available data.
Democracy in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 1 | — |
| 1901 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1907 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 1912 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1954 | 0 | — |
| 1955 | 1 | — |
| 1956 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1 | +0.0% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 1 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.5, 67% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Iran's 1 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1.4 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.1 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.8 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
- 90 Albania 1 compare
- 90 Algeria 1 compare
- 90 Angola 1 compare
- 90 Azerbaijan 1 compare
- 90 Bahrain 1 compare
- 90 Bangladesh 1 compare
- 90 Burundi 1 compare
- 90 Cameroon 1 compare
- 90 Chad 1 compare
- 90 China 1 compare
- 90 Comoros 1 compare
- 90 Congo 1 compare
- 90 Cuba 1 compare
- 90 Democratic Republic of Congo 1 compare
- 90 Djibouti 1 compare
- 90 Egypt 1 compare
- 90 Equatorial Guinea 1 compare
- 90 Eritrea 1 compare
- 90 Eswatini 1 compare
- 90 Ethiopia 1 compare
- 90 Gabon 1 compare
- 90 Iraq 1 compare
- 90 Jordan 1 compare
- 90 Kazakhstan 1 compare
- 90 Laos 1 compare
- 90 Lebanon 1 compare
- 90 Malaysia 1 compare
- 90 Mongolia 1 compare
- 90 Morocco 1 compare
- 90 Nigeria 1 compare
- 90 North Korea 1 compare
- 90 Oman 1 compare
- 90 Palestine 1 compare
- 90 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
- 90 Qatar 1 compare
- 90 Russia 1 compare
- 90 Rwanda 1 compare
- 90 Saudi Arabia 1 compare
- 90 Sierra Leone 1 compare
- 90 Singapore 1 compare
- 90 Somalia 1 compare
- 90 South Sudan 1 compare
- 90 Sudan 1 compare
- 90 Syria 1 compare
- 90 Tajikistan 1 compare
- 90 Tanzania 1 compare
- 90 Turkey 1 compare
- 90 Turkmenistan 1 compare
- 90 Uganda 1 compare
- 90 United Arab Emirates 1 compare
- 90 Uzbekistan 1 compare
- 90 Venezuela 1 compare
- 90 Vietnam 1 compare
- 90 Yemen 1 compare
- 90 Zimbabwe 1 compare
More reference data data for Iran
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 11.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.84 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 46.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 109.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy in Iran?
- Democracy in Iran was 1 in 2025, according to Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1906.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1953.
- How does Iran rank for democracy?
- Iran ranks 90th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from Episodes of Regime Transformation (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
Political regime of a country using the classification by the Episodes of Regime Transformation-project. It distinguishes between hardening autocracies (score 0), stable autocracies (score 1), liberalizing autocracies (score 2), eroding democracies (score 3), stable democracies (score 4), and deepening democracies (score 5).