What is democracy in USSR?

Democracy in USSR was 1 in 1991, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest democracy recorded in USSR?

The highest recorded value was 1 in 1989.

What is the lowest democracy recorded in USSR?

The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1922.

How does USSR rank for democracy?

USSR ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 1991.

Where does this USSR 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 USSR

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

USSR: Democracy was 1 in 1991. ◆ Volatile

Latest (1991)

Change on year

unchanged

Rank

1st

of 1 groups

All-time high

in 1989

All-time low

in 1922

Years of data

1922–1991

Democracy in USSR, 1922–1991

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for democracy in USSR is 1, measured in 1991. That is the highest value across all 70 years on record.

Over the whole period, democracy in USSR peaked at 1 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1922.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1920s	0	0	0	8
1930s	0	0	0	10
1940s	0	0	0	10
1950s	0	0	0	10
1960s	0	0	0	10
1970s	0	0	0	10
1980s	0.1	0	1	10
1990s	1	1	1	2

Countries ranked near USSR

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More reference data data for USSR

Universal right to vote in practice 2 (1990)
Free country 1 (1990)
Civil liberties rating 4 (1990)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (1990)
Elected parliament 1 (1990)
Competitive elections 0 (1990)
Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (1990)
Universal right to vote 2 (1990)
Democracy 3 (1990)
Milk production 101.33 million tonnes (1991)

All data for USSR →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in USSR?: Democracy in USSR was 1 in 1991, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in USSR?: The highest recorded value was 1 in 1989.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in USSR?: The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1922.
How does USSR rank for democracy?: USSR ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 1991.
Where does this USSR 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 — 70 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).