Distribution of Democracy Index in India
India: Distribution of Democracy Index was 19 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Distribution of Democracy Index in India, 1952–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of democracy index in India is 19, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 67 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in India peaked at 19 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 15, in 1952.
India ranks 33rd of 168 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 67 years of available data.
Distribution of Democracy Index in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 15 | — |
| 1953 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 18 | +20.0% |
| 1968 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 16 | -11.1% |
| 1976 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 18 | +12.5% |
| 1978 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 19 | +5.6% |
| 1999 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 19 | +0.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 19 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15, 1.3× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- India's 19 is above the median for South Asia, which is 17, 1.1× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 15 | 15 | 15 | 8 |
| 1960s | 15.9 | 15 | 18 | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.6 | 16 | 18 | 10 |
| 1980s | 18 | 18 | 18 | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.2 | 18 | 19 | 10 |
| 2000s | 19 | 19 | 19 | 10 |
| 2010s | 19 | 19 | 19 | 9 |
Countries ranked near India
- 33 Albania 19 compare
- 33 Argentina 19 compare
- 33 Bulgaria 19 compare
- 33 Croatia 19 compare
- 33 Czechia 19 compare
- 33 Estonia 19 compare
- 33 Indonesia 19 compare
- 33 Jamaica 19 compare
- 33 Kenya 19 compare
- 33 Moldova 19 compare
- 33 Montenegro 19 compare
- 33 North Macedonia 19 compare
- 33 Panama 19 compare
- 33 Paraguay 19 compare
- 33 Peru 19 compare
- 33 Romania 19 compare
- 33 South Africa 19 compare
- 33 Trinidad and Tobago 19 compare
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 distribution of democracy index in India?
- Distribution of democracy index in India was 19 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 19 in 1998.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 15 in 1952.
- How does India rank for distribution of democracy index?
- India ranks 33rd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 67 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 0 to 20 (fully democratic).