Freedom of Association Index in Iran
Iran: Freedom of Association Index was 0.093 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.093
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
159th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.402
in 1950
All-time low
0.047
in 1983
Years of data
132
1894–2025
Freedom of Association Index in Iran, 1894–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom of association index in Iran stood at 0.093.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and down 26.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of association index in Iran peaked at 0.402 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 0.047, in 1983.
That places Iran 159th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Freedom of Association Index in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1894 | 0.113 | — |
| 1895 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1897 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.3 | +165.5% |
| 1907 | 0.321 | +7.0% |
| 1908 | 0.321 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.338 | +5.3% |
| 1910 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.338 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.247 | -26.9% |
| 1922 | 0.236 | -4.5% |
| 1923 | 0.236 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.258 | +9.3% |
| 1925 | 0.082 | -68.2% |
| 1926 | 0.098 | +19.5% |
| 1927 | 0.08 | -18.4% |
| 1928 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.07 | -12.5% |
| 1933 | 0.061 | -12.9% |
| 1934 | 0.068 | +11.5% |
| 1935 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.123 | +80.9% |
| 1942 | 0.302 | +145.5% |
| 1943 | 0.345 | +14.2% |
| 1944 | 0.345 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.383 | +11.0% |
| 1946 | 0.369 | -3.7% |
| 1947 | 0.369 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.369 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.369 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.402 | +8.9% |
| 1951 | 0.402 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.402 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.206 | -48.8% |
| 1954 | 0.113 | -45.1% |
| 1955 | 0.093 | -17.7% |
| 1956 | 0.107 | +15.1% |
| 1957 | 0.111 | +3.7% |
| 1958 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.133 | +19.8% |
| 1961 | 0.133 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.115 | -13.5% |
| 1963 | 0.074 | -35.7% |
| 1964 | 0.067 | -9.5% |
| 1965 | 0.071 | +6.0% |
| 1966 | 0.071 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.074 | +4.2% |
| 1968 | 0.077 | +4.1% |
| 1969 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.084 | +9.1% |
| 1971 | 0.086 | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 0.089 | +3.5% |
| 1973 | 0.099 | +11.2% |
| 1974 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.053 | -46.5% |
| 1976 | 0.049 | -7.5% |
| 1977 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.052 | +6.1% |
| 1979 | 0.344 | +561.5% |
| 1980 | 0.36 | +4.7% |
| 1981 | 0.104 | -71.1% |
| 1982 | 0.062 | -40.4% |
| 1983 | 0.047 | -24.2% |
| 1984 | 0.055 | +17.0% |
| 1985 | 0.049 | -10.9% |
| 1986 | 0.05 | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 0.051 | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 0.076 | +49.0% |
| 1989 | 0.086 | +13.2% |
| 1990 | 0.102 | +18.6% |
| 1991 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.099 | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 0.1 | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 0.109 | +9.0% |
| 1995 | 0.107 | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 0.124 | +15.9% |
| 1997 | 0.216 | +74.2% |
| 1998 | 0.233 | +7.9% |
| 1999 | 0.233 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.251 | +7.7% |
| 2001 | 0.248 | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 0.245 | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 0.245 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.226 | -7.8% |
| 2005 | 0.15 | -33.6% |
| 2006 | 0.138 | -8.0% |
| 2007 | 0.138 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.132 | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 0.117 | -11.4% |
| 2010 | 0.095 | -18.8% |
| 2011 | 0.099 | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 0.095 | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 0.117 | +23.2% |
| 2014 | 0.118 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.126 | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 0.126 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.119 | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 0.112 | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 0.11 | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 0.101 | -8.2% |
| 2021 | 0.085 | -15.8% |
| 2022 | 0.064 | -24.7% |
| 2023 | 0.07 | +9.4% |
| 2024 | 0.09 | +28.6% |
| 2025 | 0.093 | +3.3% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 0.093 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7185, 13% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Iran's 0.093 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.29, 32% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Freedom of Association Index in Iran changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +561.5% | 0.052 | 0.344 |
| 1906 | +165.5% | 0.113 | 0.3 |
| 1942 | +145.5% | 0.123 | 0.302 |
| 1941 | +80.9% | 0.068 | 0.123 |
| 1997 | +74.2% | 0.124 | 0.216 |
| 1981 | -71.1% | 0.36 | 0.104 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 0.113 | 0.113 | 0.113 | 6 |
| 1900s | 0.1958 | 0.113 | 0.338 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.338 | 0.338 | 0.338 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.1735 | 0.08 | 0.338 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0699 | 0.061 | 0.08 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.3042 | 0.068 | 0.383 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.2058 | 0.093 | 0.402 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0892 | 0.067 | 0.133 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1004 | 0.049 | 0.344 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.094 | 0.047 | 0.36 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1425 | 0.099 | 0.233 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.189 | 0.117 | 0.251 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1117 | 0.095 | 0.126 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0838 | 0.064 | 0.101 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More social development data for Iran
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 770,514 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 157,912 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0017 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 157,912 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0083 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 freedom of association index in Iran?
- Freedom of association index in Iran was 0.093 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of association index recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 0.402 in 1950.
- What is the lowest freedom of association index recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.047 in 1983.
- How does Iran rank for freedom of association index?
- Iran ranks 159th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of association index rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 132 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.