2025 country profile

How democratic is
Ukraine?

Ukraine scores 56.8 out of 100 and ranks 88 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.

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DEMOCRACYS SCORE

56.8out of 100Major democratic constraints

2025 rank88 of 179

10-year change−0.3

25-year change+5.9

Source-bound range50.0–64.6

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

Ukraine, 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

Wartime restrictions and a limited mobility opening coexisted

Legislators continued serving beyond the normal electoral cycle while elections remained postponed under wartime conditions. Separately, a law allowed men aged 18–22 to cross the border freely. The context matters: Russia’s invasion and martial law shape these constraints, and the two developments concern different dimensions of rights and representation.

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 Ukraine fell 0.3 points, from 57.1 to 56.8 between 2015 and 2025. 2 of the five areas improved while 3 worsened, so the headline combines competing movements. Rights and checks contributed the largest upward push in the score calculation.

Read the political context ↓

Largest influence on the calculation

Rights and checks

The evidence points toward stronger civil liberties, equality before the law, or constraints on executive power.

Area score: 43.8 → 51.5
Approx. contribution to overall change: +1.7 points

Moving in the other direction

Participation

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

Area score: 61.6 → 54.9
Approx. contribution to overall change: −1.3 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.

2018–2019+5.3 points
The overall score rose from 56.0 to 61.3. Elections supplied the largest upward contribution to that year’s calculated change.
2021–2022−4.2 points
The overall score fell from 61.6 to 57.4. Elections supplied the largest downward contribution to that year’s calculated change.
2022–2023−1.4 points
The overall score fell from 57.4 to 56.0. Public reasoning supplied the largest downward contribution to that year’s calculated change.

Highest published score in this window: 61.6 in 2021. 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
Rights and checks	43.8	51.5	+7.7	+1.7
Participation	61.6	54.9	−6.7	−1.3
Political equality	61.1	67.5	+6.4	+1.2
Public reasoning	81.2	75.0	−6.2	−1.1
Elections	42.0	38.6	−3.4	−0.8

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?

38.6

Rights and checks on power

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

51.5

Public participation

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

54.9

Public reasoning

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

75.0

Political equality

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

67.5

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

Ukraine score table

Download Ukraine CSV

Year	Score	Source-bound range	Elections	Rights & checks	Participation	Reasoning	Equality
2025	56.8	50.0–64.6	38.6	51.5	54.9	75.0	67.5
2024	55.8	48.8–63.3	38.7	48.0	56.0	75.1	65.0
2023	56.0	49.2–63.7	39.0	50.3	55.9	71.4	66.3
2022	57.4	51.0–65.1	39.2	48.8	55.5	77.0	71.0
2021	61.6	55.2–69.4	53.7	52.8	56.0	81.2	66.2
2020	60.7	54.1–68.7	55.2	51.3	57.1	77.2	64.5
2019	61.3	54.9–68.6	52.8	52.7	54.9	85.5	63.6
2018	56.0	49.4–63.5	43.0	46.9	54.9	82.0	57.0
2017	55.8	49.0–63.4	43.0	45.9	56.0	76.9	60.4
2016	56.0	49.5–63.6	43.3	45.1	58.4	76.3	59.9
2015	57.1	50.6–63.8	42.0	43.8	61.6	81.2	61.1
2014	52.7	44.8–59.8	41.7	40.5	59.9	62.6	61.4
2013	51.6	43.8–59.8	45.9	44.7	52.4	53.3	62.6
2012	51.6	43.2–59.3	47.9	44.6	48.0	56.8	61.6
2011	51.9	43.9–59.6	48.3	45.2	48.5	56.8	61.3
2010	52.4	44.7–60.6	48.4	45.4	49.8	57.8	61.2
2009	62.9	55.6–70.6	60.4	59.5	54.4	76.7	64.5
2008	63.6	56.6–71.5	60.8	59.0	57.4	77.4	64.5
2007	64.4	57.4–72.2	60.7	60.5	57.4	78.3	66.2
2006	63.6	56.5–71.4	57.4	59.3	58.0	77.7	66.6
2005	60.3	53.1–67.3	44.8	55.4	59.8	78.5	65.6
2004	56.7	48.6–64.5	38.3	60.2	55.0	65.1	67.6
2003	53.2	44.5–61.6	39.2	56.3	54.4	55.8	61.8
2002	51.9	43.9–61.0	39.4	51.5	54.4	53.8	61.9
2001	51.2	43.0–59.7	38.4	49.4	54.4	53.9	61.4
2000	50.9	42.5–59.3	38.9	47.5	54.4	53.9	61.1
1999	50.4	41.7–58.9	42.2	47.5	45.2	54.1	64.4
1998	53.3	45.2–62.1	44.8	47.7	45.4	60.4	70.5
1997	54.4	45.5–63.2	52.3	48.5	45.4	57.3	70.0
1996	55.5	46.9–64.7	54.3	50.6	49.8	53.8	70.0
1995	56.3	47.1–64.4	55.2	51.8	46.2	56.3	73.9
1994	59.2	50.7–67.3	54.6	57.9	46.7	61.5	77.3
1993	58.8	50.6–67.6	52.8	60.3	47.1	58.7	77.3
1992	58.1	49.9–67.3	52.8	54.4	47.5	58.7	79.7
1991	57.7	49.8–65.5	42.9	53.5	45.2	61.1	91.4
1990	46.7	38.4–54.1	37.2	48.9	32.8	33.1	90.9

CITE THIS PROFILE

Source and attribution

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

Open source DOI

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How democratic isUkraine?