Freedom of association index in China
China: Freedom of association index was 0.03 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.03
Change on year
down 16.7%
World rank
169th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.454
in 1913
All-time low
0.028
in 1957
Years of data
237
1789–2025
Freedom of association index in China, 1789–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for freedom of association index in China is 0.03, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 16.7% on the previous year and down 30.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of association index in China peaked at 0.454 in 1913 and was at its lowest, 0.028, in 1957.
China ranks 169th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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 | 0.114 | 0.114 | 0.114 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.114 | 0.114 | 0.114 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.114 | 0.114 | 0.114 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.114 | 0.114 | 0.114 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.114 | 0.114 | 0.114 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.114 | 0.114 | 0.114 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.114 | 0.114 | 0.114 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.0943 | 0.093 | 0.106 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.1068 | 0.093 | 0.119 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.119 | 0.119 | 0.119 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.119 | 0.119 | 0.119 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.0952 | 0.084 | 0.098 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.111 | 0.109 | 0.113 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.3345 | 0.115 | 0.454 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.3604 | 0.273 | 0.405 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.2691 | 0.256 | 0.306 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2894 | 0.17 | 0.319 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0389 | 0.028 | 0.047 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.033 | 0.028 | 0.044 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0371 | 0.028 | 0.056 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0645 | 0.061 | 0.07 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0627 | 0.057 | 0.067 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0654 | 0.063 | 0.067 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0504 | 0.043 | 0.063 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0395 | 0.03 | 0.049 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
- 166 Nicaragua 0.042 compare
- 167 United Arab Emirates 0.04 compare
- 168 Qatar 0.039 compare
- 170 Saudi Arabia 0.026 compare
- 171 North Korea 0.025 compare
- 172 Vietnam 0.024 compare
More social development data for China
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 230 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 153,962 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 7 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 0 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.179 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.039 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.072 (2025)
- Freedom of expression index 0.045 (2025)
- Participatory democracy index 0.036 (2025)
- Varieties democracy vdem 0.072 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom of association index in China?
- Freedom of association index in China was 0.03 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of association index recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 0.454 in 1913.
- What is the lowest freedom of association index recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.028 in 1957.
- How does China rank for freedom of association index?
- China ranks 169th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of association index rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of association index. 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).