International IDEA

What International IDEA does

International IDEA (legally the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) is an intergovernmental organization founded on 27 February 1995 in Stockholm, Sweden, by 14 founding Member States. It operates under a unique mandate as the only intergovernmental organization solely focused on supporting sustainable democracy worldwide, governed by a Council of 35 Member States with India assuming the Chairship for 2026. The organization maintains a global footprint with its headquarters in Stockholm and offices in 20 countries, including a regional headquarters in Addis Ababa and country offices in Nairobi, Asunción, and Maputo, supported by 51-100 employees.

Its core products are knowledge products and frameworks rather than commercial software. Flagship offerings include the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) report series and interactive Democracy Tracker for comparative democracy assessment, the Global Election Monitor for real-time electoral event tracking, the Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections, the AGORA e-learning platform for parliamentary capacity development (built with the Inter Pares programme), and thematic publications covering climate change and democracy, money in politics, gender and inclusion, and digitalization and democracy. Regional products such as the Women's Political Participation Africa Barometer extend the analytical portfolio to specific geographies. These tools are distributed free of charge through the idea.int website and do not involve commercial licensing.

The business model is non-commercial: International IDEA is funded through assessed and voluntary contributions from its 35 Member States, supplemented by project-based grants from bilateral and multilateral donors including the European Union, SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency), Austrian Development Agency, and AECID. Specific disclosed project funding includes 6,256,000 EUR from the EU for the Support to Consolidation of Democracy in Mozambique programme and 75,000,000 SEK from SIDA for the Women in Political Participation Africa project. The go-to-market is event-driven and partnership-based: direct engagement with electoral management bodies, parliaments, civil society organizations, and regional bodies such as the Africa Union and OAS, rather than commercial sales channels.

Name

International IDEA

Legal name

International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

Website

https://idea.int

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

International IDEA is a Stockholm-based intergovernmental organization founded in 1995 that supports sustainable democracy worldwide for its 35 Member States through comparative research, data tools like the Global State of Democracy and Global Election Monitor, parliamentary capacity development, and partnerships with electoral bodies, parliaments, and civil society across 20 country offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Democracy Support and Electoral Assistance Services

NAICS

International Affairs (928120), International Affairs (92812), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA), Intergovernmental Education Cooperation & Bilateral/Multilateral Programs (EDADALAA), Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Democracy support services
• Electoral assistance
• Parliamentary capacity development
• Democratic governance research
• Intergovernmental policy advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Member State Contributions: International IDEA receives funding from its Member States through assessed contributions and voluntary contributions as part of its intergovernmental organization structure.
2. Donor Funding: The organization receives funding from development cooperation agencies and bilateral donors such as the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), European Union, Austrian Development Agency, and other governmental donors for specific projects and programmes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

International IDEA is an intergovernmental organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide by producing comparative research and data tools (such as the Global State of Democracy report and Democracy Tracker), providing capacity development and training to electoral management bodies and parliaments, and convening member states, civil society, and democracy practitioners to advance democratic reform. Its products and services are delivered free of charge to governments, parliaments, electoral authorities, and civil society organizations across 35 Member States and 20 country offices.

Product overview

International IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) is an intergovernmental organization with a mandate to support sustainable democracy worldwide. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected research products, data tools, and convening mechanisms rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) flagship report and interactive Democracy Tracker, the Global Election Monitor for real-time electoral monitoring, the Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections, and the AGORA e-learning platform for parliamentary development. Supporting these are thematic tools including Democracy Assessment frameworks, the Women's Political Participation Africa Barometer, and general research publications covering electoral processes, constitutional governance, gender and inclusion, and climate-democracy intersections. The organization maintains a global operational presence with headquarters in Stockholm and offices in 20 countries, serving 35 member states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global State of Democracy (GSoD): Global State of Democracy initiative featuring the Democracy Tracker
• Women in Political Participation (WPP)
• Inter Pares
• AGORA
• Global Election Monitor

Products and services

• Global State of Democracy (GSoD) International IDEA's flagship analytical product providing comprehensive annual reports and an interactive Democracy Tracker on the state of democracy worldwide, featuring indices, comparative data, and regional analyses. Aimed at governments, researchers, and democracy practitioners globally.
• Global Election Monitor A real-time monitoring tool tracking electoral events, crises, and democratic developments globally, providing alerts and analysis on election emergencies. For election observers, electoral management bodies, and democracy researchers.
• Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections A comprehensive framework developed by International IDEA promoting the use of risk management, resilience-building, and crisis management methods to protect electoral processes. For electoral management bodies, observer organizations, and democracy practitioners.
• AGORA E-Learning Platform A free, high-quality e-learning platform providing courses designed to strengthen the capacity of parliaments and parliamentary staff worldwide, developed in cooperation with Inter Pares. For parliamentarians and parliamentary staff globally.
• Democracy Assessment Tools Assessment frameworks and methodologies for evaluating democratic governance at national and local levels, including the State of Local Democracy framework. For governments, researchers, and civil society organizations conducting democracy assessments.
• Publications and Research Comparative knowledge products including reports, studies, and analytical publications on democracy, electoral processes, gender and inclusion, and related thematic areas. For governments, researchers, civil society, and democracy practitioners.
• Women's Political Participation (WPP) Africa Barometer A comprehensive barometer resource demonstrating the status of women's political participation in Africa, providing evidence for legislators and policymakers to advocate for women's political leadership. For African legislators, policymakers, civil society, and gender equality advocates.
• Motivation for Women in Politics A publication examining factors motivating women's participation and representation in politics across Africa, providing insights to enhance gender equality and empower women politically. For African legislators, gender equality advocates, and researchers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Women's representation in African parliaments increased from 24% to 25% over three years despite 36 African countries having elections since 2021
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the Women in Political Participation (WPP) project, one of seven partner organizations working on gender equality in politics and governance across Africa.
• African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the WPP project working on women's political participation advocacy and communication across Africa.
• Gender LinkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the WPP project, specializing in gender equality and women's political participation across Southern Africa.
• Universite Cheikh Anta Diop Gender Laboratory (IFAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the WPP project contributing gender research expertise from Senegal.
• Padare/Enkundleni Men's Forum on GendercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the WPP project focusing on engaging men in gender equality work.
• Women and Law Southern Africa (WLSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the WPP project working on legal aspects of women's political participation.
• Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the Mozambique democracy consolidation programme with extensive experience in electoral processes across Africa.
• Liga das ONGs em Moçambique (JOINT)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil society coalition partner in Mozambique democracy programme.
• Comissão Nacional de Eleições (CNE) MozambiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Electoral Commission of Mozambique as key implementing partner for electoral processes support.
• Africa UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WPP programme works with the Africa Union as well as Regional Economic Blocs to advance gender equality in political governance.
• Central Electoral Commission of Republic of MoldovacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partner in organizing the Money in Politics Regional Conference alongside Council of Europe, UNDP, NDI, OIF, and EU.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• National Democratic Institute (NDI): US-based nonprofit that works to strengthen democratic institutions and political processes worldwide, often partnering with International IDEA on election support and political participation programmes. Closest direct peer in mandate and target beneficiaries.
• The Carter Center: NGO founded by former US President Jimmy Carter that conducts election observation and democracy support globally. Comparable in election monitoring and conflict resolution programmes targeting emerging democracies.
• International Republican Institute (IRI): Core institute supporting democratic governance and political party development globally, with similar programmatic focus on elections, civil society, and women's political participation. Operates as a key US-based counterpart in the democracy assistance field.
• International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES): Specialises in electoral integrity and election administration support, frequently co-implementing programmes with IDEA. Highly comparable in offering technical assistance to electoral management bodies.
• Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD): UK-funded foundation supporting parliaments, political parties, and electoral commissions in developing democracies. Directly comparable mandate on parliamentary strengthening, mirroring IDEA's Inter Pares and AGORA programmes.
• Club de Madrid: World forum of former democratic heads of state and government supporting democratic leadership and governance reform. Comparable in convening authority on democracy support and cross-party engagement.
• European Partnership for Democracy (EPD): Brussels-based network of European democracy support organisations, often coordinating joint funding proposals and programmes with IDEA. Comparable in serving as a platform for European donor coordination on democracy assistance.

Broad incumbents

• UNDP Democratic Governance: UN agency delivering democratic governance programming at much larger scale across all developing countries. Overlaps in mandate on elections, constitutional support, and civic participation, and is a documented partner of IDEA.
• OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR): Regional IGO providing election observation and democratic governance support across the OSCE area. Comparable as an intergovernmental body with election monitoring mandate and convening authority with member states.

Regional players

• Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA): Africa-focused electoral support organisation, a documented strategic partner of IDEA in the Mozambique democracy programme. Operates as a regional peer in the same thematic space across the African continent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Int_IDEA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCB1YHxkQxNGYEAFxXcGBblw
• Facebookfacebook.com/InternationalIDEA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-idea
• Instagraminstagram.com/international_idea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International IDEA