Electoral Democracy Index in India
India: Electoral Democracy Index was 0.377 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Electoral Democracy Index in India, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
India recorded 0.377 for electoral democracy index in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electoral democracy index in India peaked at 0.746 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.05, in 1878.
India ranks 104th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.053 | 0.053 | 0.053 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.053 | 0.053 | 0.053 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.053 | 0.053 | 0.053 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.053 | 0.053 | 0.053 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.053 | 0.053 | 0.053 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.054 | 0.053 | 0.058 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.058 | 0.058 | 0.058 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.0572 | 0.054 | 0.058 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.054 | 0.054 | 0.054 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.0537 | 0.05 | 0.057 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.0694 | 0.05 | 0.074 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.074 | 0.074 | 0.074 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.0754 | 0.074 | 0.076 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.076 | 0.076 | 0.076 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.135 | 0.087 | 0.144 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1588 | 0.137 | 0.18 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.19 | 0.179 | 0.226 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.5832 | 0.272 | 0.67 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.6577 | 0.644 | 0.67 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5649 | 0.381 | 0.664 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6536 | 0.641 | 0.668 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7305 | 0.693 | 0.746 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7245 | 0.683 | 0.739 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5735 | 0.43 | 0.671 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.384 | 0.374 | 0.398 | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
- 101 Cote d'Ivoire 0.394 compare
- 102 Philippines 0.392 compare
- 103 Ukraine 0.386 compare
- 105 Iraq 0.369 compare
- 106 Tanzania 0.365 compare
- 107 Madagascar 0.361 compare
More social development data for India
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 238,643 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 42,610 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Varieties of democracy 0.377 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.26 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.534 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.246 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.534 (2025)
- Key features of electoral democracy 0.377 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electoral democracy index in India?
- Electoral democracy index in India was 0.377 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electoral democracy index recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 0.746 in 1998.
- What is the lowest electoral democracy index recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.05 in 1878.
- How does India rank for electoral democracy index?
- India ranks 104th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electoral democracy index rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.6%. 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 Electoral Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.