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Strong Elected Local Governments Index in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Strong Elected Local Governments Index was 0.868 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.868
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
80th
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.965
in 1889
All-time low
0.383
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Strong Elected Local Governments Index in United Kingdom, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, strong elected local governments index in United Kingdom stood at 0.868.

The figure is down 7.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, strong elected local governments index in United Kingdom peaked at 0.965 in 1889 and was at its lowest, 0.383, in 1789.

That places United Kingdom 80th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.383 0.383 0.383 1
1790s 0.383 0.383 0.383 10
1800s 0.383 0.383 0.383 10
1810s 0.383 0.383 0.383 10
1820s 0.383 0.383 0.383 10
1830s 0.3878 0.383 0.391 10
1840s 0.391 0.391 0.391 10
1850s 0.391 0.391 0.391 10
1860s 0.391 0.391 0.391 10
1870s 0.391 0.391 0.391 10
1880s 0.4484 0.391 0.965 10
1890s 0.965 0.965 0.965 10
1900s 0.965 0.965 0.965 10
1910s 0.965 0.965 0.965 10
1920s 0.965 0.965 0.965 10
1930s 0.965 0.965 0.965 10
1940s 0.965 0.965 0.965 10
1950s 0.8422 0.658 0.965 10
1960s 0.658 0.658 0.658 10
1970s 0.658 0.658 0.658 10
1980s 0.919 0.919 0.919 10
1990s 0.919 0.919 0.919 10
2000s 0.919 0.919 0.919 10
2010s 0.9351 0.919 0.942 10
2020s 0.8938 0.819 0.96 6

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 77 Cape Verde 0.884 compare
  2. 78 South Africa 0.88 compare
  3. 79 Ukraine 0.878 compare
  4. 81 Cote d'Ivoire 0.867 compare
  5. 82 Sierra Leone 0.865 compare
  6. 83 Moldova 0.862 compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is strong elected local governments index in United Kingdom?
Strong elected local governments index in United Kingdom was 0.868 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest strong elected local governments index recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 0.965 in 1889.
What is the lowest strong elected local governments index recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 0.383 in 1789.
How does United Kingdom rank for strong elected local governments index?
United Kingdom ranks 80th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
Is strong elected local governments index rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Strong Elected Local Governments Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Strong Elected Local Governments Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
175 places, 25,933 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which elected local governments exist, and they operate without interference from local unelected bodies.