2025 country profile

How democratic is
Palestine/Gaza?

Palestine/Gaza scores 20.3 out of 100 and ranks 162 of 179 in our independent 2025 democracy measure. Its lowest-scoring test is free and fair elections. 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

20.3out of 100Far from the standard

2025 rank162 of 179

10-year change−6.1

25-year change—

Source-bound range13.4–26.2

Weakest areaElections

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

SCORE HISTORY

Palestine/Gaza, 2007–2025

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.

2024 context · Freedom House assessment

War closed avenues for independent political advocacy

Freedom House reports that residents had no remaining peaceful channels for advocating their political interests during the Israel–Hamas war. This concerns both governing constraints and the effects of armed conflict on civic life. A territorial score cannot summarize all civilian experiences or assign responsibility for every harm.

Read the country report · Freedom in the World 2025

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 Palestine/Gaza fell 6.1 points, from 26.4 to 20.3 between 2015 and 2025. 1 of the five areas improved while 4 worsened, so the headline combines competing movements. Participation contributed the largest downward push in the score calculation. The latest year moved in the opposite direction (+1.5), so the longer trend is not the whole story.

Read the political context ↓

Largest influence on the calculation

Participation

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

Area score: 35.4 → 22.5
Approx. contribution to overall change: −2.3 points

Moving in the other direction

Elections

The evidence rates electoral choice, voting rights, political organization, and the space for open debate more favorably.

Area score: 11.9 → 12.8
Approx. contribution to overall change: +0.3 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.

2016–2017−1.7 points
The overall score fell from 27.1 to 25.4. Public reasoning supplied the largest downward contribution to that year’s calculated change.
2017–2018−2.9 points
The overall score fell from 25.4 to 22.5. Rights and checks supplied the largest downward contribution to that year’s calculated change.
2023–2024−3.8 points
The overall score fell from 22.6 to 18.8. Rights and checks supplied the largest downward contribution to that year’s calculated change.

Highest published score in this window: 27.1 in 2016. 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
Participation	35.4	22.5	−12.9	−2.3
Public reasoning	21.7	13.2	−8.5	−1.9
Political equality	50.7	39.8	−10.9	−1.6
Rights and checks	20.1	18.0	−2.1	−0.5
Elections	11.9	12.8	+0.9	+0.3

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?

12.8

Rights and checks on power

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

18.0

Public participation

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

22.5

Public reasoning

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

13.2

Political equality

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

39.8

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

Palestine/Gaza score table

Download Palestine/Gaza CSV

Year	Score	Source-bound range	Elections	Rights & checks	Participation	Reasoning	Equality
2025	20.3	13.4–26.2	12.8	18.0	22.5	13.2	39.8
2024	18.8	12.0–24.0	9.5	18.6	23.0	11.1	37.8
2023	22.6	15.3–28.6	12.2	23.8	25.3	13.5	44.5
2022	23.2	16.0–28.7	12.4	17.2	29.0	13.5	53.0
2021	24.9	17.9–30.8	12.8	15.9	36.7	16.1	52.8
2020	23.8	16.9–29.4	12.9	14.2	33.5	16.2	51.2
2019	23.5	16.6–28.9	11.7	22.7	34.1	9.8	49.8
2018	22.5	15.8–27.6	11.8	11.5	30.1	13.4	58.6
2017	25.4	18.5–31.1	12.1	18.8	36.9	19.0	48.4
2016	27.1	19.8–33.0	11.9	20.5	35.4	25.0	50.7
2015	26.4	19.1–32.0	11.9	20.1	35.4	21.7	50.7
2014	26.2	19.3–32.1	13.0	21.0	39.1	17.4	48.8
2013	26.3	19.3–32.0	12.9	21.6	39.1	17.4	48.8
2012	32.0	25.0–37.9	14.3	30.5	41.7	25.4	56.2
2011	31.8	24.8–37.9	14.0	30.8	40.5	25.1	56.7
2010	31.3	24.6–37.5	14.1	31.1	39.4	24.4	55.5
2009	30.8	23.9–36.9	13.5	29.2	39.4	25.4	54.3
2008	30.7	23.8–37.0	13.3	29.3	39.4	25.0	54.3
2007	32.1	25.8–39.0	13.1	30.6	38.5	29.6	56.8
1966	22.1	14.6–28.9	4.1	40.4	27.4	32.5	19.1
1965	22.1	14.6–28.9	4.1	40.4	27.4	32.5	19.1
1964	22.0	14.5–28.7	3.9	40.4	27.4	32.5	19.1
1963	22.0	14.5–28.7	3.9	40.4	27.4	32.5	19.1
1962	21.5	14.2–28.3	3.9	37.1	27.4	32.5	19.1
1961	19.8	12.8–26.1	3.9	26.4	27.4	32.5	19.1
1960	19.8	12.8–26.1	3.9	26.4	27.4	32.5	19.1
1959	19.8	12.9–26.1	3.9	26.7	27.4	32.5	19.1
1958	21.2	13.8–27.5	3.9	35.2	27.4	32.5	19.1
1957	21.2	13.8–27.5	3.9	35.2	27.4	32.5	19.1
1956	21.2	13.8–27.5	3.9	35.2	27.4	32.5	19.1
1955	21.2	13.8–27.5	3.9	35.2	27.4	32.5	19.1
1954	21.2	13.9–27.7	3.9	35.4	27.4	32.5	19.1
1953	21.3	14.0–27.8	4.1	35.2	27.4	32.5	19.1
1952	21.3	14.0–27.8	4.1	35.2	27.4	32.5	19.1
1951	21.3	14.0–27.8	4.1	35.2	27.4	32.5	19.1
1950	21.3	14.0–27.8	4.1	35.2	27.4	32.5	19.1
1949	21.2	13.8–27.6	4.1	34.5	27.4	32.5	19.1
1948	21.2	13.8–27.6	4.1	34.5	27.4	32.5	19.1

CITE THIS PROFILE

Source and attribution

Democracys.org (2026), “Palestine/Gaza Democracy Score, 1948–2025,” 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

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All rankings

How democratic isPalestine/Gaza?