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V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · Deliberative Democracy Index
Deliberative democracy by country
Are political decisions reached through reasoned public debate?
Denmark placed first of the 176 countries compared in 2025, at 0.867, and North Korea last, at 0.011. In the middle country the figure was 0.339. Among the 167 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 0.225 to 0.330.
Part ofDemocracy & Civil Liberties
Deliberative democracy · 2025
Context statistic
Highest of 176Denmark
0.867012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 176 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: Simon Koopmann derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 2.0 de, greyscale
Lowest in 2025
- 176
North Korea0.011 - 175
Afghanistan0.012 - 174
Nicaragua0.017
Positions out of 176. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Seychelles0.703 - Americas
Costa Rica0.787 - Asia
South Korea0.751 - EuropeDenmark0.867
- Oceania
Australia0.771 - Every region
02Every measured country
Deliberative democracy on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 0.011–0.126
- 0.129–0.248
- 0.251–0.412
- 0.416–0.647
- 0.651–0.867
- No reading in 2025
- Europe
0.658
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Denmark0.867
Belarus0.032Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
0.458
the middle country, of 27 measured · 48 members
Costa Rica0.787Nicaragua0.017Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
0.437
the middle country, of 6 measured · 21 members
Australia0.771
Papua New Guinea0.248Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
0.228
the middle country, of 55 measured · 55 members
Seychelles0.703
Sudan0.023Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Asia
0.182
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
South Korea0.751North Korea0.011Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
0.790
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Switzerland0.852
Austria0.729Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
0.760
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Denmark0.867
Lithuania0.662Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Caribbean
0.625
the middle country, of 6 measured · 24 members
Barbados0.712
Cuba0.097Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Europe
0.521
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Spain0.693
Serbia0.208Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Southern Africa
0.464
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa0.651
Eswatini0.064Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Eastern Asia
0.448
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
South Korea0.751North Korea0.011Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- South America
0.393
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Uruguay0.784
Venezuela0.023Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Central America
0.358
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica0.787Nicaragua0.017Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Europe
0.344
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Czechia0.703Belarus0.032Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Western Africa
0.296
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Ghana0.583
Burkina Faso0.048Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Southern Asia
0.259
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Sri Lanka0.621Afghanistan0.012Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Northern Africa
0.222
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Tunisia0.330Sudan0.023Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
0.222
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Timor-Leste0.540
Myanmar0.035Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Eastern Africa
0.195
the middle country, of 19 measured · 19 members
Seychelles0.703
Eritrea0.025Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Asia
0.166
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Cyprus0.613
Azerbaijan0.034Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Middle Africa
0.163
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe0.416
Equatorial Guinea0.045Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Central Asia
0.146
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan0.185
Turkmenistan0.028Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia0.771
New Zealand0.644Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Vanuatu0.467Papua New Guinea0.248Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada0.677
United States0.481Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
176 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.339; a quarter are above 0.604, and a quarter below 0.169. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 176 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. The index scores the process of decision-making, not whether the decisions turn out well: a government can consult widely and still choose badly, or govern effectively without consulting anyone.
Showing 25 of 176 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2025 · 36 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 1990, all of them re-estimated together in V-Dem's v16 release. Because elections are built into the index it moves with the Electoral Democracy Index; a fall here that the electoral index does not share means the quality of debate is changing on its own.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 167 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 176 | 0.339 | 0.169 – 0.604 | 0.330 |
| 2024 | 176 | 0.344 | 0.167 – 0.595 | 0.343 |
| 2023 | 176 | 0.353 | 0.174 – 0.610 | 0.352 |
| 2022 | 176 | 0.343 | 0.174 – 0.621 | 0.341 |
| 2021 | 176 | 0.354 | 0.172 – 0.607 | 0.351 |
| 2020 | 176 | 0.367 | 0.194 – 0.601 | 0.359 |
| 2019 | 176 | 0.376 | 0.212 – 0.599 | 0.378 |
| 2018 | 176 | 0.381 | 0.217 – 0.613 | 0.386 |
| 2017 | 176 | 0.375 | 0.209 – 0.617 | 0.374 |
| 2016 | 176 | 0.384 | 0.195 – 0.621 | 0.384 |
| 2015 | 176 | 0.378 | 0.197 – 0.631 | 0.378 |
| 2014 | 176 | 0.381 | 0.193 – 0.632 | 0.378 |
| 2013 | 176 | 0.372 | 0.193 – 0.639 | 0.374 |
| 2012 | 176 | 0.397 | 0.221 – 0.664 | 0.398 |
| 2011 | 176 | 0.397 | 0.204 – 0.659 | 0.401 |
| 2010 | 175 | 0.386 | 0.210 – 0.652 | 0.386 |
| 2009 | 175 | 0.381 | 0.198 – 0.645 | 0.381 |
| 2008 | 175 | 0.379 | 0.199 – 0.642 | 0.379 |
| 2007 | 175 | 0.364 | 0.192 – 0.640 | 0.363 |
| 2006 | 175 | 0.377 | 0.189 – 0.648 | 0.376 |
| 2005 | 175 | 0.369 | 0.192 – 0.640 | 0.364 |
| 2004 | 175 | 0.360 | 0.187 – 0.655 | 0.358 |
| 2003 | 175 | 0.349 | 0.185 – 0.644 | 0.348 |
| 2002 | 175 | 0.347 | 0.193 – 0.639 | 0.342 |
| 2001 | 175 | 0.328 | 0.188 – 0.634 | 0.328 |
| 2000 | 175 | 0.325 | 0.184 – 0.630 | 0.326 |
| 1999 | 175 | 0.322 | 0.162 – 0.617 | 0.326 |
| 1998 | 174 | 0.314 | 0.164 – 0.614 | 0.325 |
| 1997 | 173 | 0.311 | 0.158 – 0.634 | 0.318 |
| 1996 | 173 | 0.310 | 0.159 – 0.613 | 0.319 |
| 1995 | 173 | 0.313 | 0.149 – 0.607 | 0.318 |
| 1994 | 173 | 0.303 | 0.139 – 0.611 | 0.309 |
| 1993 | 173 | 0.299 | 0.140 – 0.594 | 0.308 |
| 1992 | 172 | 0.276 | 0.123 – 0.582 | 0.278 |
| 1991 | 171 | 0.244 | 0.108 – 0.557 | 0.254 |
| 1990 | 167 | 0.225 | 0.094 – 0.550 | 0.225 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Mauritius0.411 → 0.663 · 75th → 32nd+0.252- Sri Lanka0.451 → 0.621 · 64th → 39th+0.170
- South Korea0.592 → 0.751 · 45th → 16th+0.159
Syria0.042 → 0.166 · 165th → 133rd+0.124
Jamaica0.613 → 0.694 · 41st → 25th+0.081
Declined most
before → after- United States0.745 → 0.481 · 16th → 58th−0.264
- Vanuatu0.610 → 0.467 · 42nd → 62nd−0.143
Côte d’Ivoire0.343 → 0.241 · 90th → 109th−0.102
Bolivia0.323 → 0.238 · 92nd → 110th−0.085
Armenia0.453 → 0.376 · 63rd → 78th−0.077
176 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Deliberative democracy in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
0.887
Deliberative democracy index (0–1)
Lowest reading on record
Reached 6 times by 2 countries — shared, so no holder is named
0.007
Deliberative democracy index (0–1)
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Biggest improvement between editions
+0.450
0.169 → 0.619
Biggest decline between editions
−0.353
0.377 → 0.024
Most improved since first measured
+0.589
0.114 → 0.703
At the top most often
19 of 36
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About deliberative democracy
V-Dem's Deliberative Democracy Index asks how political decisions are reached: whether leaders justify their positions with public reasons about the common good, respect opposing arguments, and consult a wide range of people before acting — on top of genuine elections. It runs from 0 to 1, and a higher figure is more democratic.
What the number is: Deliberative democracy index (0–1).
What it does not measure
It judges how decisions are made, not whether the decisions themselves are good.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Democracy & Civil Liberties, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where deliberative democracy is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Liberal Democracy IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.97
- V-Dem Electoral Democracy IndexKeyV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.96
- Participatory Democracy IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.94
Moves against
Where deliberative democracy is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Political Corruption IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ −0.74
- Informal Employment RateILO · 86 countries in commonρ −0.61
- Refugees by Country of OriginUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 173 countries in commonρ −0.59
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 187 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
More from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
11Questions
Deliberative democracy: questions and answers
Which country has the highest deliberative democracy?
Denmark, at 0.867, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest deliberative democracy?
North Korea, at 0.011, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Deliberative Democracy Index cover?
176 in 2025. The number measured varies from 167 to 176 between editions.
What is the world average deliberative democracy?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 176 compared in 2025, the figure was 0.339.
Is this V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s own ranking?
No. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Deliberative Democracy Index published?
This site holds 36 reference years, 1990–2025, all recalculated in V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s 2026 report on one method — not 36 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Deliberative Democracy Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: Coppedge, M. et al. V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project, University of Gothenburg.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Switzerland — Simon Koopmann derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Deliberative democracy by country: Deliberative Democracy Index, data from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/deliberative-democracy