What is freedom of association index in India?

Freedom of association index in India was 0.586 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest freedom of association index recorded in India?

The highest recorded value was 0.819 in 1993.

What is the lowest freedom of association index recorded in India?

The lowest recorded value was 0.254 in 1789.

How does India rank for freedom of association index?

India ranks 109th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is freedom of association index rising or falling in India?

Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this India data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of Association Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Freedom of Association Index in India

Name: Freedom of Association Index in India
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

India: Freedom of Association Index was 0.586 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.586

Change on year

up 2.8%

World rank

109th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.819

in 1993

All-time low

0.254

in 1789

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Freedom of Association Index in India, 1789–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

India recorded 0.586 for freedom of association index in 2025.

That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and down 22.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, freedom of association index in India peaked at 0.819 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.254, in 1789.

India ranks 109th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.

Freedom of Association Index in India, year by year

Annual values for Freedom of Association Index in India, 1789 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1789	0.254	—
1790	0.254	+0.0%
1791	0.254	+0.0%
1792	0.254	+0.0%
1793	0.254	+0.0%
1794	0.254	+0.0%
1795	0.254	+0.0%
1796	0.254	+0.0%
1797	0.254	+0.0%
1798	0.254	+0.0%
1799	0.254	+0.0%
1800	0.254	+0.0%
1801	0.254	+0.0%
1802	0.254	+0.0%
1803	0.254	+0.0%
1804	0.254	+0.0%
1805	0.254	+0.0%
1806	0.254	+0.0%
1807	0.254	+0.0%
1808	0.254	+0.0%
1809	0.254	+0.0%
1810	0.254	+0.0%
1811	0.254	+0.0%
1812	0.254	+0.0%
1813	0.254	+0.0%
1814	0.254	+0.0%
1815	0.254	+0.0%
1816	0.254	+0.0%
1817	0.254	+0.0%
1818	0.254	+0.0%
1819	0.254	+0.0%
1820	0.254	+0.0%
1821	0.254	+0.0%
1822	0.254	+0.0%
1823	0.254	+0.0%
1824	0.254	+0.0%
1825	0.254	+0.0%
1826	0.254	+0.0%
1827	0.254	+0.0%
1828	0.254	+0.0%
1829	0.254	+0.0%
1830	0.254	+0.0%
1831	0.254	+0.0%
1832	0.254	+0.0%
1833	0.254	+0.0%
1834	0.254	+0.0%
1835	0.254	+0.0%
1836	0.254	+0.0%
1837	0.254	+0.0%
1838	0.295	+16.1%
1839	0.295	+0.0%
1840	0.295	+0.0%
1841	0.295	+0.0%
1842	0.295	+0.0%
1843	0.295	+0.0%
1844	0.295	+0.0%
1845	0.295	+0.0%
1846	0.295	+0.0%
1847	0.295	+0.0%
1848	0.295	+0.0%
1849	0.295	+0.0%
1850	0.295	+0.0%
1851	0.295	+0.0%
1852	0.295	+0.0%
1853	0.295	+0.0%
1854	0.295	+0.0%
1855	0.295	+0.0%
1856	0.295	+0.0%
1857	0.295	+0.0%
1858	0.279	-5.4%
1859	0.279	+0.0%
1860	0.279	+0.0%
1861	0.279	+0.0%
1862	0.279	+0.0%
1863	0.279	+0.0%
1864	0.279	+0.0%
1865	0.279	+0.0%
1866	0.279	+0.0%
1867	0.279	+0.0%
1868	0.279	+0.0%
1869	0.279	+0.0%
1870	0.279	+0.0%
1871	0.279	+0.0%
1872	0.279	+0.0%
1873	0.279	+0.0%
1874	0.279	+0.0%
1875	0.279	+0.0%
1876	0.306	+9.7%
1877	0.306	+0.0%
1878	0.306	+0.0%
1879	0.306	+0.0%
1880	0.306	+0.0%
1881	0.306	+0.0%
1882	0.306	+0.0%
1883	0.306	+0.0%
1884	0.306	+0.0%
1885	0.306	+0.0%
1886	0.306	+0.0%
1887	0.306	+0.0%
1888	0.306	+0.0%
1889	0.306	+0.0%
1890	0.306	+0.0%
1891	0.306	+0.0%
1892	0.306	+0.0%
1893	0.306	+0.0%
1894	0.306	+0.0%
1895	0.306	+0.0%
1896	0.306	+0.0%
1897	0.306	+0.0%
1898	0.306	+0.0%
1899	0.306	+0.0%
1900	0.306	+0.0%
1901	0.306	+0.0%
1902	0.306	+0.0%
1903	0.306	+0.0%
1904	0.306	+0.0%
1905	0.293	-4.2%
1906	0.307	+4.8%
1907	0.307	+0.0%
1908	0.307	+0.0%
1909	0.307	+0.0%
1910	0.307	+0.0%
1911	0.307	+0.0%
1912	0.307	+0.0%
1913	0.307	+0.0%
1914	0.307	+0.0%
1915	0.307	+0.0%
1916	0.307	+0.0%
1917	0.307	+0.0%
1918	0.307	+0.0%
1919	0.307	+0.0%
1920	0.314	+2.3%
1921	0.346	+10.2%
1922	0.346	+0.0%
1923	0.346	+0.0%
1924	0.342	-1.2%
1925	0.342	+0.0%
1926	0.339	-0.9%
1927	0.324	-4.4%
1928	0.324	+0.0%
1929	0.324	+0.0%
1930	0.325	+0.3%
1931	0.327	+0.6%
1932	0.327	+0.0%
1933	0.327	+0.0%
1934	0.337	+3.1%
1935	0.508	+50.7%
1936	0.508	+0.0%
1937	0.508	+0.0%
1938	0.508	+0.0%
1939	0.508	+0.0%
1940	0.508	+0.0%
1941	0.508	+0.0%
1942	0.508	+0.0%
1943	0.508	+0.0%
1944	0.508	+0.0%
1945	0.508	+0.0%
1946	0.512	+0.8%
1947	0.584	+14.1%
1948	0.671	+14.9%
1949	0.673	+0.3%
1950	0.673	+0.0%
1951	0.683	+1.5%
1952	0.729	+6.7%
1953	0.729	+0.0%
1954	0.729	+0.0%
1955	0.729	+0.0%
1956	0.729	+0.0%
1957	0.77	+5.6%
1958	0.777	+0.9%
1959	0.777	+0.0%
1960	0.777	+0.0%
1961	0.777	+0.0%
1962	0.734	-5.5%
1963	0.728	-0.8%
1964	0.725	-0.4%
1965	0.725	+0.0%
1966	0.733	+1.1%
1967	0.775	+5.7%
1968	0.781	+0.8%
1969	0.781	+0.0%
1970	0.772	-1.2%
1971	0.769	-0.4%
1972	0.774	+0.7%
1973	0.774	+0.0%
1974	0.766	-1.0%
1975	0.553	-27.8%
1976	0.535	-3.3%
1977	0.57	+6.5%
1978	0.796	+39.6%
1979	0.796	+0.0%
1980	0.795	-0.1%
1981	0.783	-1.5%
1982	0.779	-0.5%
1983	0.782	+0.4%
1984	0.782	+0.0%
1985	0.791	+1.2%
1986	0.805	+1.8%
1987	0.805	+0.0%
1988	0.796	-1.1%
1989	0.796	+0.0%
1990	0.796	+0.0%
1991	0.807	+1.4%
1992	0.81	+0.4%
1993	0.819	+1.1%
1994	0.819	+0.0%
1995	0.819	+0.0%
1996	0.81	-1.1%
1997	0.806	-0.5%
1998	0.813	+0.9%
1999	0.806	-0.9%
2000	0.796	-1.2%
2001	0.796	+0.0%
2002	0.801	+0.6%
2003	0.791	-1.2%
2004	0.794	+0.4%
2005	0.777	-2.1%
2006	0.773	-0.5%
2007	0.773	+0.0%
2008	0.773	+0.0%
2009	0.787	+1.8%
2010	0.787	+0.0%
2011	0.787	+0.0%
2012	0.782	-0.6%
2013	0.781	-0.1%
2014	0.769	-1.5%
2015	0.753	-2.1%
2016	0.754	+0.1%
2017	0.726	-3.7%
2018	0.717	-1.2%
2019	0.668	-6.8%
2020	0.657	-1.6%
2021	0.653	-0.6%
2022	0.619	-5.2%
2023	0.597	-3.6%
2024	0.57	-4.5%
2025	0.586	+2.8%

India compared with similar countries

India's 0.586 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.567, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
India's 0.586 is below the median for South Asia, which is 0.693, 85% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.254	0.254	0.254	1
1790s	0.254	0.254	0.254	10
1800s	0.254	0.254	0.254	10
1810s	0.254	0.254	0.254	10
1820s	0.254	0.254	0.254	10
1830s	0.2622	0.254	0.295	10
1840s	0.295	0.295	0.295	10
1850s	0.2918	0.279	0.295	10
1860s	0.279	0.279	0.279	10
1870s	0.2898	0.279	0.306	10
1880s	0.306	0.306	0.306	10
1890s	0.306	0.306	0.306	10
1900s	0.3051	0.293	0.307	10
1910s	0.307	0.307	0.307	10
1920s	0.3347	0.314	0.346	10
1930s	0.4183	0.325	0.508	10
1940s	0.5488	0.508	0.673	10
1950s	0.7325	0.673	0.777	10
1960s	0.7536	0.725	0.781	10
1970s	0.7105	0.535	0.796	10
1980s	0.7914	0.779	0.805	10
1990s	0.8105	0.796	0.819	10
2000s	0.7861	0.773	0.801	10
2010s	0.7524	0.668	0.787	10
2020s	0.6137	0.57	0.657	6

Countries ranked near India

107 Hungary 0.605 compare
108 Singapore 0.591 compare
110 Iraq 0.578 compare
111 Serbia 0.577 compare
112 Niger 0.57 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

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)

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is freedom of association index in India?: Freedom of association index in India was 0.586 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest freedom of association index recorded in India?: The highest recorded value was 0.819 in 1993.
What is the lowest freedom of association index recorded in India?: The lowest recorded value was 0.254 in 1789.
How does India rank for freedom of association index?: India ranks 109th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is freedom of association index rising or falling in India?: Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of Association Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Freedom of Association Index in India. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 October 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/freedom-of-association-index/india/

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About this data

Indicator: Freedom of Association Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,011 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which parties, including opposition parties, are allowed to form and participate in elections and the extent to which civil society organizations are allowed to form and operate freely.