Electoral democracy in India
India: Electoral democracy was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Electoral democracy in India, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, electoral democracy in India stood at 1.
The figure is down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electoral democracy in India peaked at 2 in 1952 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
That places India 87th out of 176 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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 | 0.2 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.7 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.7 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
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- 87 Djibouti 1 compare
- 87 Egypt 1 compare
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- 87 Ethiopia 1 compare
- 87 Gabon 1 compare
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- 87 Iran 1 compare
- 87 Iraq 1 compare
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- 87 Kyrgyzstan 1 compare
- 87 Lebanon 1 compare
- 87 Mauritania 1 compare
- 87 Mexico 1 compare
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- 87 Pakistan 1 compare
- 87 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
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- 87 Russia 1 compare
- 87 Rwanda 1 compare
- 87 Serbia 1 compare
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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)
- Key features of democracy 0.377 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.458 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.586 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.377 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.246 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.26 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electoral democracy in India?
- Electoral democracy in India was 1 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electoral democracy recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1952.
- 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 87th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electoral democracy rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. 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 Electoral democracy. 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
Identifies the political regime of a country using the Regimes of the World classification by political scientists Anna Lührmann, Marcus Tannenberg and Staffan Lindberg.