Democracy in Syria

Syria: Democracy was 0 in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
0
World rank
147th
of 168 countries
All-time high
2
in 1955
All-time low
0
in 1951
Years of data
72
1944–2018

Democracy in Syria, 1944–2018

00.511.52194419812018

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for democracy in Syria is 0, measured in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 72 years on record.

Over the whole period, democracy in Syria peaked at 2 in 1955 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1951.

That places Syria 147th out of 168 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.

Democracy in Syria, year by year

Annual values for Democracy in Syria, 1944 to 2018.
Year Value Change
1944 1
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 0 -100.0%
1952 0
1953 0
1954 1
1955 2 +100.0%
1956 2 +0.0%
1957 2 +0.0%
1961 1 -50.0%
1962 1 +0.0%
1963 0 -100.0%
1964 0
1965 0
1966 0
1967 0
1968 0
1969 0
1970 0
1971 0
1972 0
1973 0
1974 0
1975 0
1976 0
1977 0
1978 0
1979 0
1980 0
1981 0
1982 0
1983 0
1984 0
1985 0
1986 0
1987 0
1988 0
1989 0
1990 0
1991 0
1992 0
1993 0
1994 0
1995 0
1996 0
1997 0
1998 0
1999 0
2000 0
2001 0
2002 0
2003 0
2004 0
2005 0
2006 0
2007 0
2008 0
2009 0
2010 0
2011 0
2012 0
2013 0
2014 0
2015 0
2016 0
2017 0
2018 0

Syria compared with similar countries

  • Syria's 0 is below the median for low income countries, which is 1. (25 countries reporting)
  • Syria's 0 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1. (21 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 1 1 1 6
1950s 1 0 2 8
1960s 0.2222 0 1 9
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 Syria

  1. 147 Azerbaijan 0 compare
  2. 147 Bahrain 0 compare
  3. 147 Bangladesh 0 compare
  4. 147 Belarus 0 compare
  5. 147 China 0 compare
  6. 147 Equatorial Guinea 0 compare
  7. 147 Eritrea 0
  8. 147 Eswatini 0
  9. 147 Iran 0 compare
  10. 147 Kazakhstan 0 compare
  11. 147 Kuwait 0
  12. 147 Laos 0 compare
  13. 147 North Korea 0
  14. 147 Oman 0
  15. 147 Qatar 0
  16. 147 Saudi Arabia 0
  17. 147 Turkmenistan 0 compare
  18. 147 United Arab Emirates 0
  19. 147 Uzbekistan 0 compare
  20. 147 Vatican 0
  21. 147 Vietnam 0

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More reference data data for Syria

All data for Syria →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Syria?
Democracy in Syria was 0 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Syria?
The highest recorded value was 2 in 1955.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Syria?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1951.
How does Syria rank for democracy?
Syria ranks 147th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
Where does this Syria 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.

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Democracy in Syria. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-regime-polity/syrian-arab-republic/

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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

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).