Netherlands vs United Kingdom: Democracy
Democracy over time
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom
How they compare
Netherlands currently reports 7 against 7 in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Netherlands ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 1st of 198 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Netherlands | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 3 | 3 | United Kingdom |
| 1790s | 0.8 | 3 | 2.2 | United Kingdom |
| 1800s | 0.2 | 3 | 2.8 | United Kingdom |
| 1810s | 1 | 3 | 2 | United Kingdom |
| 1820s | 2 | 3 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 2 | 3.8 | 1.8 | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 2.4 | 4 | 1.6 | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 4 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1860s | 4 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 4 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1880s | 4 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1890s | 4 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1900s | 4 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 4.3 | 4.2 | 0.1 | Netherlands |
| 1920s | 6.6 | 5.4 | 1.2 | Netherlands |
| 1930s | 6.3 | 6.9 | 0.6 | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 2.8 | 6.4 | 3.6 | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 7 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 7 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 7 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 7 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 7 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 7 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 7 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 7 | 7 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher democracy, Netherlands or United Kingdom?
- Netherlands, at 7 against 7 in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in democracy between Netherlands and United Kingdom?
- 0, with Netherlands ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and United Kingdom?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Netherlands and United Kingdom rank globally for democracy?
- Netherlands ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 1st of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies (score 0), one-party autocracies (score 1), multi-party autocracies without elected executive (score 2), multi-party autocracies (score 3), exclusive democracies (score 4), male democracies (score 5), electoral democracies (score 6), and full democracies (score 7).