Statizoid

Electoral democracy in India

India: Electoral democracy was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
1
in 1950
All-time low
0
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Electoral democracy in India, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, electoral democracy in India stood at 1. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, electoral democracy in India peaked at 1 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.

India ranks 1st of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0 0 0 1
1790s 0 0 0 10
1800s 0 0 0 10
1810s 0 0 0 10
1820s 0 0 0 10
1830s 0 0 0 10
1840s 0 0 0 10
1850s 0 0 0 10
1860s 0 0 0 10
1870s 0 0 0 10
1880s 0 0 0 10
1890s 0 0 0 10
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0 0 0 10
1950s 1 1 1 10
1960s 1 1 1 10
1970s 1 1 1 10
1980s 1 1 1 10
1990s 1 1 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

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See the full ranking of 198 places →

More social development data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is electoral democracy in India?
Electoral democracy in India was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest electoral democracy recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1950.
What is the lowest electoral democracy recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
How does India rank for electoral democracy?
India ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is electoral democracy rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Electoral democracy
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies the political regime of a country using the reduced Lexical Index of Electoral Democracy. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies, one-party autocracies, multi-party autocracies without elected executive, multi-party autocracies, exclusive democracies, male democracies, and electoral democracies (including full democracies or polyarchies).