2025 country profile

How democratic is
Azerbaijan?

Azerbaijan scores 15.6 out of 100 and ranks 168 of 179 in our independent 2025 democracy measure. Its lowest-scoring test is public reasoning. Explore the evidence and history below.

Democracys.org beta estimate, derived from V-Dem v16. A measure of political institutions and conditions—not a percentage of democracy or a judgment of people.

Printable country brief Compare this country

DEMOCRACYS SCORE

15.6out of 100Far from the standard

2025 rank168 of 179

10-year change−4.5

25-year change−7.6

Source-bound range10.7–19.2

Weakest areaReasoning

The source-bound range is an uncertainty guide, not a confidence interval for this combined score. How to read the range →

SCORE HISTORY

Azerbaijan, 1990–2025

The shaded area is a plain-language uncertainty guide. Treat small score differences cautiously.

About uncertainty

BEYOND THE NUMBERS

What changed on the ground?

A documented development to help interpret the institutions behind the score.

2025 context · Freedom House assessment

Academic prosecutions narrowed space for criticism

Freedom House describes lengthy prison sentences imposed on academics after closed treason trials and characterizes the cases as politically fabricated. Its assessment points to pressure on independent inquiry and due process. These are constraints on public debate and checks on state power, not simply questions about ballot administration.

Read the country report · Freedom in the World 2026

AI-assisted source summary · not independently expert-reviewed

What this context does—and does not—explain

This is a selected development, not a complete political history. Its date may differ from the selected comparison period. It is not evidence that one event caused a particular number of points, and it may describe progress even when this index declines.

The scores use V-Dem. The narrative summarizes a separate assessment by Freedom House, whose definitions and coverage differ. Neither organization endorses this website. The summary is AI-assisted, source-linked, and has not received independent country-expert review. Source checked October 5, 2026.

Why democracy measures can disagree →

UNDERSTAND THE CHANGE

What drove the score?

2015–2025 · the measured story

The score for Azerbaijan fell 4.5 points, from 20.1 to 15.6 between 2015 and 2025. All five areas declined. Public reasoning contributed the largest downward push in the score calculation.

Read the political context ↓

Largest influence on the calculation

Public reasoning

The evidence rates public justification, consultation, and engagement with opposing arguments less favorably.

Area score: 15.1 → 6.8
Approx. contribution to overall change: −2.1 points

Another important influence

Participation

The evidence rates opportunities to participate through civic organizations, direct democracy, and local or regional institutions less favorably.

Area score: 13.1 → 9.7
Approx. contribution to overall change: −0.8 points

These contributions explain the calculation—not the causes. The five area scores combine several indicators; they do not identify which individual law, election, or event changed.

When did the biggest shifts appear?

The largest year-to-year movements within this period. These are changes in annual estimates, not precise dates of political events.

2016–2017+2.3 points
The overall score rose from 18.4 to 20.7. Public reasoning supplied the largest upward contribution to that year’s calculated change.
2017–2018−2.5 points
The overall score fell from 20.7 to 18.2. Participation supplied the largest downward contribution to that year’s calculated change.
2023–2024−2.0 points
The overall score fell from 17.7 to 15.7. Public reasoning supplied the largest downward contribution to that year’s calculated change.

Highest published score in this window: 20.7 in 2017. Small differences may fall within the source’s uncertainty.

See all five areas and how contributions are calculated

Changes in inputs versus contributions to the overall score
Area	2015	2025	Input change	Approx. contribution
Public reasoning	15.1	6.8	−8.3	−2.1
Participation	13.1	9.7	−3.4	−0.8
Political equality	42.8	38.6	−4.2	−0.6
Rights and checks	15.6	13.2	−2.4	−0.5
Elections	19.3	17.1	−2.2	−0.4

We change the five inputs from their starting to ending values in every possible order, then average each area’s effect on the formula. This distributes the formula’s interactions (a Shapley allocation). It is a mathematical attribution, not a causal estimate.

Inputs and published scores are rounded, so contributions are approximate and may not add exactly to the displayed total. No significance test is implied. Read the full scoring method →

BENEATH THE SCORE

Five dimensions of democracy

The headline score cannot show where a political system is strong or constrained. These five tests can. Each has equal weight in the beta standard.

Free and fair elections

Can people choose their leaders through broad voting rights, honest elections, free political groups, and open public debate?

17.1

Rights and checks on power

Are basic freedoms protected, laws applied fairly, courts independent, and leaders prevented from abusing power?

13.2

Public participation

Can people shape public life through civic groups, direct voting, and meaningful local and regional government?

9.7

Public reasoning

Do leaders explain decisions, consult the public, answer opposing arguments, and consider the common good?

6.8

Political equality

Do different social groups have equal rights, access, resources, and a real chance to influence political power?

38.6

HOW TO READ THIS PROFILE

Two kinds of evidence.
One clearer picture.

The score breakdown identifies which parts of the measure changed most. The country report adds documented political context. Together they help explain the institutions at stake—but they do not prove that a specific event produced a specific number of points.

Why this score differs from other democracy indices →

What a declining score can—and cannot—tell us about democratic backsliding

A recent improvement can coexist with a long-term decline. Always compare the dates, check the linked source, and consider developments the selected narrative does not cover.

ANNUAL DATA

Azerbaijan score table

Download Azerbaijan CSV

Year	Score	Source-bound range	Elections	Rights & checks	Participation	Reasoning	Equality
2025	15.6	10.7–19.2	17.1	13.2	9.7	6.8	38.6
2024	15.7	10.7–19.1	17.4	13.3	10.0	8.2	35.0
2023	17.7	12.1–21.4	18.5	15.6	11.6	11.7	35.3
2022	17.2	11.7–21.0	18.5	15.8	12.8	10.2	32.2
2021	18.2	12.9–22.1	19.3	16.5	13.3	10.4	35.7
2020	17.4	11.7–20.8	19.4	15.8	13.8	7.3	36.4
2019	17.8	12.2–21.5	19.5	15.5	14.3	8.5	36.2
2018	18.2	13.0–22.3	19.2	13.8	13.4	12.0	36.6
2017	20.7	14.9–25.1	20.2	16.4	16.9	15.2	38.1
2016	18.4	12.7–22.2	19.9	14.8	16.1	8.6	37.9
2015	20.1	14.5–24.3	19.3	15.6	13.1	15.1	42.8
2014	20.3	15.0–24.8	19.5	15.6	13.5	15.1	43.0
2013	21.3	15.6–26.1	20.2	16.2	17.6	14.1	43.0
2012	20.3	14.4–24.4	20.6	15.9	17.5	11.2	41.3
2011	20.7	14.8–25.0	20.9	15.9	17.9	12.1	41.7
2010	20.5	14.6–24.6	21.3	16.1	17.9	10.7	41.7
2009	20.8	14.6–25.0	21.2	16.7	18.8	11.0	41.3
2008	20.8	14.7–25.3	21.2	16.4	18.5	11.0	42.3
2007	20.9	14.8–25.3	21.6	16.4	18.9	11.0	41.9
2006	21.1	14.9–25.6	21.9	16.4	19.3	11.0	42.2
2005	21.4	15.7–26.2	22.1	17.3	19.3	11.3	42.2
2004	21.4	15.7–26.2	22.1	17.4	19.3	11.3	42.1
2003	20.9	14.5–25.4	23.8	16.3	19.3	9.1	42.2
2002	21.8	15.8–26.7	24.1	17.5	19.3	11.1	42.3
2001	23.0	16.5–28.2	24.2	17.5	18.5	16.5	42.3
2000	23.2	16.7–28.4	24.5	17.5	18.9	16.5	42.3
1999	23.8	17.4–29.1	23.9	17.6	19.3	18.6	43.2
1998	23.5	16.9–28.7	24.4	18.3	16.0	19.2	43.5
1997	23.6	17.0–28.9	23.7	19.1	16.0	19.2	44.4
1996	23.6	17.0–28.9	23.5	19.1	16.0	19.2	44.4
1995	23.6	16.9–29.0	24.7	18.0	16.0	19.2	44.4
1994	23.2	16.2–29.1	24.9	18.8	8.8	26.4	44.2
1993	29.9	22.4–36.2	30.6	30.0	12.1	30.3	54.6
1992	37.0	27.7–44.0	36.7	43.6	8.7	47.6	64.9
1991	28.9	21.5–35.0	18.6	27.3	11.0	46.0	52.6
1990	23.8	16.2–29.3	17.2	22.4	4.0	40.7	52.6

CITE THIS PROFILE

Source and attribution

Democracys.org (2026), “Azerbaijan Democracy Score, 1990–2025,” Democracys Standard v1.0 beta; derived from Coppedge et al. (2026), V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16.

Open source DOI

NEARBY IN THE 2025 RANKING

#166Venezuela16.2 #167China16.1 #169Equatorial Guinea15.4 #170Tajikistan14.3

All rankings

How democratic isAzerbaijan?

Azerbaijan, 1990–2025

Academic prosecutions narrowed space for criticism

Public reasoning

Participation

When did the biggest shifts appear?

Five dimensions of democracy

Free and fair elections

Rights and checks on power

Public participation

Public reasoning

Political equality

Two kinds of evidence.One clearer picture.

Azerbaijan score table

Source and attribution

How democratic is
Azerbaijan?

Two kinds of evidence.
One clearer picture.