---
title: Decidim
type: platform
status: active
country: ES
website: https://decidim.org
logo: /assets/org-logos/decidim.svg
contact:
  checked: 2026-07-30
  email: hola@decidim.org
  form: https://decidim.org/contact
  source: https://decidim.org/contact
summary: An open-source participatory democracy framework used by 400+ governments
  and organisations worldwide — citizen proposals, participatory budgeting, consultations,
  and collaborative legislation.
concepts:
- democracy-tools
- direct-democracy
- deliberative-democracy
- participatory-budgeting
- e-government
- citizens-assembly
location:
  latitude: 41.3874
  longitude: 2.1686
  name: Barcelona, Spain
rss_feed: https://decidim.org/blog/feed.xml
events:
- date: '2016-01-01'
  title: First Decidim server created by 15M activists in Barcelona
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decidim
  quote: Decidim provided their first use of participatory budgeting
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
- date: '2017-02-01'
  title: Rewritten as new modular Decidim software, Barcelona city deployment begins
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decidim
  quote: the server was switched to a similarly inspired, but new software project,
    Decidim
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
- date: '2019-01-01'
  title: Decidim Association formed — Barcelona transfers trademark and code to community
    governance
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decidim
  quote: the community formally established Decidim Association in 2019 and City Council
    of Barcelona gave control of the Decidim trademark and code base to Decidim Association.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
- date: '2023-01-01'
  title: Recognised as Digital Public Good by UN Digital Public Goods Alliance
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decidim
  quote: recognised as satisfying the criteria of the Digital Public Goods Alliance
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: false
activity:
  rss:
    date: 2026-08-17
    note: 'Latest post: Decidim and the New York City Civic Engagement Commission
      formalise Partnership '
    url: https://decidim.org/blog/2026-07-06-decidim-and-the-new-york-city-civic-engagement-commission-formalise-partnership-with-a-memorandum-of-understanding/
    checked: 2026-08-17
last_checked: '2026-06-15'
---

Decidim ("we decide" in Catalan) is a free, open-source participatory democracy framework built in Ruby on Rails, originally developed by Barcelona City Council and first deployed in January 2016 for the city's participatory action plan. It is now governed by the Decidim Association, an independent body separate from the city.

The platform supports a wide range of participatory mechanisms: citizen proposals, participatory budgeting, consultations, collaborative legislation drafting, citizens' assemblies, and participatory planning. Its modular architecture lets governments and organisations deploy whichever components suit their context.

As of 2025, Decidim has over 400 active instances across 20+ countries, including Barcelona, Helsinki, New York City, Mexico City, and the French National Assembly. A memorandum of understanding with the Brazilian government was signed in 2024.

## Links

- Website: [decidim.org](https://decidim.org)
- Source code: [github.com/decidim/decidim](https://github.com/decidim/decidim)
- Wikipedia: [Decidim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decidim)

## See also

- [Direct Democracy](../concepts/direct-democracy.md)
- [E-Government](../concepts/e-government.md)
- [Citizens' Assembly](../concepts/citizens-assembly.md)
- [Consul Democracy](consul-democracy.md)
- [Pol.is](polis.md)