Democracy in Uruguay

Uruguay: Democracy was 3 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 176 countries
All-time high
3
in 1985
All-time low
0
in 1825
Years of data
201
1825–2025

Democracy in Uruguay, 1825–2025

0123182519252025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for democracy in Uruguay is 3, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 201 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in Uruguay peaked at 3 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1825.

Uruguay ranks 1st of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1820s 0 0 0 5
1830s 0.7 0 1 10
1840s 0.1 0 1 10
1850s 0.8 0 1 10
1860s 0.7 0 1 10
1870s 0.6 0 1 10
1880s 0.9 0 1 10
1890s 1 1 1 10
1900s 1 1 1 10
1910s 1 1 1 10
1920s 1.7 1 2 10
1930s 1.3 0 2 10
1940s 2 2 2 10
1950s 2 2 2 10
1960s 2 2 2 10
1970s 0.6 0 2 10
1980s 1.5 0 3 10
1990s 3 3 3 10
2000s 3 3 3 10
2010s 3 3 3 10
2020s 3 3 3 6

Countries ranked near Uruguay

  1. 1 Australia 3 compare
  2. 1 Austria 3 compare
  3. 1 Barbados 3 compare
  4. 1 Belgium 3 compare
  5. 1 Chile 3 compare
  6. 1 Costa Rica 3 compare
  7. 1 Cyprus 3 compare
  8. 1 Czechia 3 compare
  9. 1 Denmark 3 compare
  10. 1 Estonia 3 compare
  11. 1 Finland 3 compare
  12. 1 France 3 compare
  13. 1 Germany 3 compare
  14. 1 Iceland 3 compare
  15. 1 Italy 3 compare
  16. 1 Japan 3 compare
  17. 1 Latvia 3 compare
  18. 1 Lithuania 3 compare
  19. 1 Netherlands 3 compare
  20. 1 New Zealand 3 compare
  21. 1 Norway 3 compare
  22. 1 Seychelles 3 compare
  23. 1 South Korea 3 compare
  24. 1 Spain 3 compare
  25. 1 Sweden 3 compare
  26. 1 Switzerland 3 compare
  27. 1 Taiwan 3 compare
  28. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 3 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Uruguay

All data for Uruguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Uruguay?
Democracy in Uruguay was 3 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Uruguay?
The highest recorded value was 3 in 1985.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Uruguay?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1825.
How does Uruguay rank for democracy?
Uruguay ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is democracy rising or falling in Uruguay?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Uruguay data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (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 — 201 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Democracy
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,594 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.