Switzerland vs United States: Competitive elections
Switzerland
1
in 2025
United States
1
in 2025
Switzerland rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Competitive elections over time
- Switzerland
- United States
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 1 against 1 in United States, a difference of 0.
Across all 228 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Switzerland ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 198 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 24 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Switzerland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1800s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1810s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1820s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1830s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1840s | 0.2 | 1 | 0.8 | United States |
| 1850s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1860s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1880s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1890s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher competitive elections, Switzerland or United States?
- Switzerland, at 1 against 1 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in competitive elections between Switzerland and United States?
- 0, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and United States?
- 228 years are reported by both, from 1798 to 2025.
- How do Switzerland and United States rank globally for competitive elections?
- Switzerland ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Competitive elections. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.