What is democracy in Sri Lanka?

Democracy in Sri Lanka was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 1948.

What is the lowest democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?

The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1982.

How does Sri Lanka rank for democracy?

Sri Lanka ranks 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018.

Is democracy rising or falling in Sri Lanka?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Sri Lanka 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.

Democracy in Sri Lanka

Name: Democracy in Sri Lanka
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Sri Lanka: Democracy was 2 in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 167 countries

All-time high

in 1948

All-time low

in 1982

Years of data

1948–2018

Democracy in Sri Lanka, 1948–2018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Sri Lanka recorded 2 for democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 71 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in Sri Lanka peaked at 2 in 1948 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1982.

Sri Lanka ranks 1st of 167 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 71 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1940s	2	2	2	2
1950s	2	2	2	10
1960s	2	2	2	10
1970s	2	2	2	10
1980s	1.2	1	2	10
1990s	1	1	1	10
2000s	1.5	1	2	10
2010s	1.44	1	2	9

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

Spring temperature anomalies 0.1264 °C (2026)
Summer temperature anomalies 0.2745 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month 0.0088 °C (2026)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 0.7892 °C (2025)
Winter temperature anomalies 0.372 °C (2025)
Consumer price index 292.34 2010 = 100 (2025)
Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Sri Lanka?: Democracy in Sri Lanka was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 1948.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?: The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1982.
How does Sri Lanka rank for democracy?: Sri Lanka ranks 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
Is democracy rising or falling in Sri Lanka?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 71 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Democracy
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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).