| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Electoral democracy index | 0.735 indexV-Dem [2025] |
| Liberal democracy index | 0.571 indexV-Dem [2025] |
| Government effectiveness | 1.36 indexWorld Bank WGI [2024] |
| Rule of law | 0.962 indexWorld Bank WGI [2024] |
| Control of corruption | 1.09 indexWorld Bank WGI [2024] |
| Voice & accountability | 0.887 indexWorld Bank WGI [2024] |
| Political stability | -0.0951 indexWorld Bank WGI [2024] |
| Regulatory quality | 1.35 indexWorld Bank WGI [2024] |
| Cabinet fragmentation index | 1 indexWB DPI [2023] |
| Governing majority margin | 0.49 %WB DPI [2023] |
| Parties in executive cabinet | 213WB DPI [2023] |
| Women in parliament | 28.7 %WB Gender [2024] |
| Constitutional history supplement | No authoritative open source found |
| Legal system | common law system based on English common law at the federal level; state legal systems based on common law, except Louisiana, where state law is based on Napoleonic civil code; judicial review of legislative actsCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| Suffrage (voting rights) | 18 years of age; universalCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
previous 1781 (Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union); latest drafted July - September 1787, submitted to the Congress of the Confederation 20 September 1787, submitted for states' ratification 28 September 1787, ratification completed by nine of the 13 states 21 June 1788, effective 4 March 1789
Source: CIA World Factbook (Historical Archive — final edition) · CC0 · Edition 2026-05
How to read these indices
V-Dem democracy indices range from 0 to 1 — higher values mean stronger democratic institutions. World Bank WGI governance estimates range from about −2.5 to +2.5, where higher is better. These are comparative indices across countries, not absolute scores.
