Deliberative Democracy Index in India
India: Deliberative Democracy Index was 0.259 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Deliberative Democracy Index in India, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, deliberative democracy index in India stood at 0.259.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.2% on the previous year and down 37.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deliberative democracy index in India peaked at 0.678 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.04, in 1900.
That places India 101st out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Deliberative Democracy Index in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.04 | — |
| 1901 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.048 | +20.0% |
| 1910 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.048 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.05 | +4.2% |
| 1921 | 0.057 | +14.0% |
| 1922 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.058 | +1.8% |
| 1925 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.057 | -1.7% |
| 1928 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.058 | +1.8% |
| 1932 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.057 | -1.7% |
| 1935 | 0.062 | +8.8% |
| 1936 | 0.075 | +21.0% |
| 1937 | 0.076 | +1.3% |
| 1938 | 0.092 | +21.1% |
| 1939 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.096 | +4.3% |
| 1946 | 0.099 | +3.1% |
| 1947 | 0.149 | +50.5% |
| 1948 | 0.252 | +69.1% |
| 1949 | 0.252 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.29 | +15.1% |
| 1951 | 0.313 | +7.9% |
| 1952 | 0.496 | +58.5% |
| 1953 | 0.544 | +9.7% |
| 1954 | 0.544 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.544 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.544 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.55 | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 0.551 | +0.2% |
| 1959 | 0.551 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.551 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.551 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.537 | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 0.535 | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 0.536 | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 0.53 | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 0.531 | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 0.541 | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 0.563 | +4.1% |
| 1969 | 0.563 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.562 | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 0.523 | -6.9% |
| 1972 | 0.52 | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 0.52 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.486 | -6.5% |
| 1975 | 0.304 | -37.4% |
| 1976 | 0.273 | -10.2% |
| 1977 | 0.449 | +64.5% |
| 1978 | 0.586 | +30.5% |
| 1979 | 0.589 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 0.579 | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 0.577 | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 0.572 | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 0.573 | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 0.574 | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 0.588 | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 0.6 | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 0.6 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.593 | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 0.594 | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 0.621 | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 0.646 | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 0.659 | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 0.663 | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 0.67 | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 0.67 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.672 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 0.672 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.678 | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 0.669 | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.666 | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 0.666 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.671 | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 0.67 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 0.664 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 0.657 | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 0.654 | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 0.654 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.654 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.622 | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 0.608 | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 0.608 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.595 | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 0.572 | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 0.51 | -10.8% |
| 2015 | 0.411 | -19.4% |
| 2016 | 0.393 | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 0.353 | -10.2% |
| 2018 | 0.349 | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.297 | -14.9% |
| 2020 | 0.264 | -11.1% |
| 2021 | 0.28 | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 0.282 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 0.269 | -4.6% |
| 2024 | 0.279 | +3.7% |
| 2025 | 0.259 | -7.2% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 0.259 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2395, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 0.259 is below the median for South Asia, which is 0.411, 63% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Deliberative Democracy Index in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | +69.1% | 0.149 | 0.252 |
| 1977 | +64.5% | 0.273 | 0.449 |
| 1952 | +58.5% | 0.313 | 0.496 |
| 1947 | +50.5% | 0.099 | 0.149 |
| 1975 | -37.4% | 0.486 | 0.304 |
| 1978 | +30.5% | 0.449 | 0.586 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0408 | 0.04 | 0.048 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.048 | 0.048 | 0.048 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.0566 | 0.05 | 0.058 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0685 | 0.057 | 0.092 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1308 | 0.092 | 0.252 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.4927 | 0.29 | 0.551 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.5438 | 0.53 | 0.563 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.4812 | 0.273 | 0.589 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.585 | 0.572 | 0.6 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.662 | 0.621 | 0.678 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6578 | 0.622 | 0.671 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4696 | 0.297 | 0.608 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2722 | 0.259 | 0.282 | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More social development data for India
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 238,643 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 42,610 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 42,610 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is deliberative democracy index in India?
- Deliberative democracy index in India was 0.259 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deliberative democracy index recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 0.678 in 1998.
- What is the lowest deliberative democracy index recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.04 in 1900.
- How does India rank for deliberative democracy index?
- India ranks 101st out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is deliberative democracy index rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Deliberative Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, as well as the extent to which political elites justify their positions, justify them with the common good, acknowledge counterarguments, consult elites in policy changes, and society deliberates policy changes.