Democracy in China
China: Democracy was 0 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Democracy in China, 1800–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, democracy in China stood at 0. That is the lowest value across all 208 years on record.
Over the whole period, democracy in China peaked at 1 in 1911 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1800.
That places China 146th out of 167 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 8 |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 1940s | 0.75 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Countries ranked near China
- 146 Azerbaijan 0 compare
- 146 Bahrain 0 compare
- 146 Bangladesh 0 compare
- 146 Belarus 0 compare
- 146 Equatorial Guinea 0 compare
- 146 Eritrea 0 compare
- 146 Eswatini 0 compare
- 146 Iran 0 compare
- 146 Kazakhstan 0 compare
- 146 Kuwait 0 compare
- 146 Laos 0 compare
- 146 North Korea 0 compare
- 146 Oman 0 compare
- 146 Qatar 0 compare
- 146 Saudi Arabia 0 compare
- 146 Syria 0 compare
- 146 Turkmenistan 0 compare
- 146 United Arab Emirates 0 compare
- 146 Uzbekistan 0 compare
- 146 Vatican 0 compare
- 146 Vietnam 0 compare
More reference data data for China
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy in China?
- Democracy in China was 0 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 1911.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1800.
- How does China rank for democracy?
- China ranks 146th out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 208 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).