Competitive elections in Germany
Germany: Competitive elections was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Competitive elections in Germany, 1867–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Germany recorded 1 for competitive elections in 2025. That is the highest value across all 114 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, competitive elections in Germany peaked at 1 in 1919 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1867.
Germany ranks 1st of 198 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Competitive elections in Germany, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1867 | 0 | — |
| 1868 | 0 | — |
| 1869 | 0 | — |
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1871 | 0 | — |
| 1872 | 0 | — |
| 1873 | 0 | — |
| 1874 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1876 | 0 | — |
| 1877 | 0 | — |
| 1878 | 0 | — |
| 1879 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1881 | 0 | — |
| 1882 | 0 | — |
| 1883 | 0 | — |
| 1884 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1886 | 0 | — |
| 1887 | 0 | — |
| 1888 | 0 | — |
| 1889 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | — |
| 1891 | 0 | — |
| 1892 | 0 | — |
| 1893 | 0 | — |
| 1894 | 0 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | — |
| 1896 | 0 | — |
| 1897 | 0 | — |
| 1898 | 0 | — |
| 1899 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 1 | — |
| 1920 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 1 | — |
| 1991 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1 | +0.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 1 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Germany's 1 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.3 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 1 Albania 1 compare
- 1 Andorra 1 compare
- 1 Antigua and Barbuda 1 compare
- 1 Argentina 1 compare
- 1 Armenia 1 compare
- 1 Australia 1 compare
- 1 Austria 1 compare
- 1 Bahamas 1 compare
- 1 Barbados 1 compare
- 1 Belgium 1 compare
- 1 Belize 1 compare
- 1 Bhutan 1 compare
- 1 Bolivia 1 compare
- 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
- 1 Botswana 1 compare
- 1 Brazil 1 compare
- 1 Bulgaria 1 compare
- 1 Canada 1 compare
- 1 Cape Verde 1 compare
- 1 Chile 1 compare
- 1 Colombia 1 compare
- 1 Costa Rica 1 compare
- 1 Croatia 1 compare
- 1 Cyprus 1 compare
- 1 Czechia 1 compare
- 1 Denmark 1 compare
- 1 Dominica 1 compare
- 1 Dominican Republic 1 compare
- 1 East Timor 1 compare
- 1 Ecuador 1 compare
- 1 Estonia 1 compare
- 1 Fiji 1 compare
- 1 Finland 1 compare
- 1 France 1 compare
- 1 Gambia 1 compare
- 1 Ghana 1 compare
- 1 Greece 1 compare
- 1 Grenada 1 compare
- 1 Guatemala 1 compare
- 1 Guyana 1 compare
- 1 Honduras 1 compare
- 1 Hungary 1 compare
- 1 Iceland 1 compare
- 1 India 1 compare
- 1 Indonesia 1 compare
- 1 Iraq 1 compare
- 1 Ireland 1 compare
- 1 Israel 1 compare
- 1 Italy 1 compare
- 1 Jamaica 1 compare
- 1 Japan 1 compare
- 1 Kenya 1 compare
- 1 Kiribati 1 compare
- 1 Latvia 1 compare
- 1 Lebanon 1 compare
- 1 Lesotho 1 compare
- 1 Liberia 1 compare
- 1 Lithuania 1 compare
- 1 Luxembourg 1 compare
- 1 Malawi 1 compare
- 1 Malaysia 1 compare
- 1 Maldives 1 compare
- 1 Malta 1 compare
- 1 Marshall Islands 1 compare
- 1 Mauritius 1 compare
- 1 Mexico 1 compare
- 1 Micronesia (country) 1 compare
- 1 Moldova 1 compare
- 1 Mongolia 1 compare
- 1 Montenegro 1 compare
- 1 Namibia 1 compare
- 1 Nauru 1 compare
- 1 Nepal 1 compare
- 1 Netherlands 1 compare
- 1 New Zealand 1 compare
- 1 North Macedonia 1 compare
- 1 Norway 1 compare
- 1 Palau 1 compare
- 1 Panama 1 compare
- 1 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
- 1 Paraguay 1 compare
- 1 Peru 1 compare
- 1 Philippines 1 compare
- 1 Poland 1 compare
- 1 Portugal 1 compare
- 1 Romania 1 compare
- 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 compare
- 1 Saint Lucia 1 compare
- 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 compare
- 1 Samoa 1 compare
- 1 San Marino 1 compare
- 1 Sao Tome and Principe 1 compare
- 1 Senegal 1 compare
- 1 Seychelles 1 compare
- 1 Slovakia 1 compare
- 1 Slovenia 1 compare
- 1 Solomon Islands 1 compare
- 1 South Africa 1 compare
- 1 South Korea 1 compare
- 1 Spain 1 compare
- 1 Sri Lanka 1 compare
- 1 Suriname 1 compare
- 1 Sweden 1 compare
- 1 Switzerland 1 compare
- 1 Taiwan 1 compare
- 1 Tonga 1 compare
- 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 compare
- 1 Tuvalu 1 compare
- 1 Ukraine 1 compare
- 1 United Kingdom 1 compare
- 1 United States 1 compare
- 1 Uruguay 1 compare
- 1 Vanuatu 1 compare
- 1 Zambia 1 compare
More public sector data for Germany
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is competitive elections in Germany?
- Competitive elections in Germany was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest competitive elections recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 1919.
- What is the lowest competitive elections recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1867.
- How does Germany rank for competitive elections?
- Germany ranks 1st out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is competitive elections rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Competitive elections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.