Democracy Index in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Democracy Index was -1 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Democracy Index in Afghanistan, 1800–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, democracy index in Afghanistan stood at -1.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over five years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Afghanistan peaked at 0 in 1978 and was at its lowest, -10, in 1945.
That places Afghanistan 123rd out of 167 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 196 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1810s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1820s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1830s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1840s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1850s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1860s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1870s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1880s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1890s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1900s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1910s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1920s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1930s | -7 | -8 | -6 | 10 |
| 1940s | -9 | -10 | -8 | 10 |
| 1950s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 1960s | -8.2 | -10 | -7 | 10 |
| 1970s | -6.22 | -7 | 0 | 9 |
| 1980s | -8 | -8 | -8 | 1 |
| 1990s | -4.4 | -8 | 0 | 10 |
| 2000s | -7 | -7 | -7 | 1 |
| 2010s | -1 | -1 | -1 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More social development data for Afghanistan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 20,869 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 2.67 million (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Key features of liberal democracy 0.018 (2025)
- Varieties of democracy 0.069 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.022 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.023 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.069 (2025)
- Liberal democracy 0 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in Afghanistan?
- Democracy index in Afghanistan was -1 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 0 in 1978.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was -10 in 1945.
- How does Afghanistan rank for democracy index?
- Afghanistan ranks 123rd out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 196 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).