What is freedom of association index in Malawi?

Freedom of association index in Malawi was 0.767 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

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

The highest recorded value was 0.88 in 2022.

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

The lowest recorded value was 0.019 in 1979.

How does Malawi rank for freedom of association index?

Malawi ranks 86th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is freedom of association index rising or falling in Malawi?

Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Malawi 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 Malawi

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

Malawi: Freedom of Association Index was 0.767 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.767

Change on year

up 1.3%

World rank

86th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.88

in 2022

All-time low

0.019

in 1979

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Freedom of Association Index in Malawi, 1900–2025

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

Analysis

Malawi recorded 0.767 for freedom of association index in 2025.

The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, freedom of association index in Malawi peaked at 0.88 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.019, in 1979.

Malawi ranks 86th 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.

Freedom of Association Index in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Freedom of Association Index in Malawi, 1900 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1900	0.053	—
1901	0.053	+0.0%
1902	0.053	+0.0%
1903	0.053	+0.0%
1904	0.053	+0.0%
1905	0.053	+0.0%
1906	0.053	+0.0%
1907	0.053	+0.0%
1908	0.053	+0.0%
1909	0.053	+0.0%
1910	0.053	+0.0%
1911	0.053	+0.0%
1912	0.053	+0.0%
1913	0.053	+0.0%
1914	0.053	+0.0%
1915	0.053	+0.0%
1916	0.053	+0.0%
1917	0.053	+0.0%
1918	0.053	+0.0%
1919	0.053	+0.0%
1920	0.053	+0.0%
1921	0.053	+0.0%
1922	0.053	+0.0%
1923	0.053	+0.0%
1924	0.053	+0.0%
1925	0.053	+0.0%
1926	0.053	+0.0%
1927	0.053	+0.0%
1928	0.053	+0.0%
1929	0.053	+0.0%
1930	0.053	+0.0%
1931	0.053	+0.0%
1932	0.053	+0.0%
1933	0.053	+0.0%
1934	0.053	+0.0%
1935	0.053	+0.0%
1936	0.053	+0.0%
1937	0.053	+0.0%
1938	0.053	+0.0%
1939	0.053	+0.0%
1940	0.053	+0.0%
1941	0.053	+0.0%
1942	0.053	+0.0%
1943	0.053	+0.0%
1944	0.065	+22.6%
1945	0.062	-4.6%
1946	0.062	+0.0%
1947	0.062	+0.0%
1948	0.062	+0.0%
1949	0.062	+0.0%
1950	0.062	+0.0%
1951	0.062	+0.0%
1952	0.062	+0.0%
1953	0.062	+0.0%
1954	0.062	+0.0%
1955	0.062	+0.0%
1956	0.062	+0.0%
1957	0.062	+0.0%
1958	0.066	+6.5%
1959	0.086	+30.3%
1960	0.244	+183.7%
1961	0.545	+123.4%
1962	0.598	+9.7%
1963	0.629	+5.2%
1964	0.406	-35.5%
1965	0.181	-55.4%
1966	0.037	-79.6%
1967	0.037	+0.0%
1968	0.037	+0.0%
1969	0.037	+0.0%
1970	0.037	+0.0%
1971	0.037	+0.0%
1972	0.037	+0.0%
1973	0.037	+0.0%
1974	0.037	+0.0%
1975	0.037	+0.0%
1976	0.027	-27.0%
1977	0.021	-22.2%
1978	0.02	-4.8%
1979	0.019	-5.0%
1980	0.019	+0.0%
1981	0.019	+0.0%
1982	0.019	+0.0%
1983	0.019	+0.0%
1984	0.019	+0.0%
1985	0.019	+0.0%
1986	0.019	+0.0%
1987	0.019	+0.0%
1988	0.019	+0.0%
1989	0.019	+0.0%
1990	0.019	+0.0%
1991	0.019	+0.0%
1992	0.039	+105.3%
1993	0.189	+384.6%
1994	0.69	+265.1%
1995	0.792	+14.8%
1996	0.792	+0.0%
1997	0.792	+0.0%
1998	0.792	+0.0%
1999	0.793	+0.1%
2000	0.794	+0.1%
2001	0.794	+0.0%
2002	0.794	+0.0%
2003	0.794	+0.0%
2004	0.822	+3.5%
2005	0.821	-0.1%
2006	0.821	+0.0%
2007	0.816	-0.6%
2008	0.816	+0.0%
2009	0.829	+1.6%
2010	0.821	-1.0%
2011	0.827	+0.7%
2012	0.828	+0.1%
2013	0.859	+3.7%
2014	0.86	+0.1%
2015	0.855	-0.6%
2016	0.843	-1.4%
2017	0.85	+0.8%
2018	0.81	-4.7%
2019	0.766	-5.4%
2020	0.81	+5.7%
2021	0.83	+2.5%
2022	0.88	+6.0%
2023	0.813	-7.6%
2024	0.757	-6.9%
2025	0.767	+1.3%

Malawi compared with similar countries

Malawi's 0.767 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.379, 2.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Malawi's 0.767 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5515, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.053	0.053	0.053	10
1910s	0.053	0.053	0.053	10
1920s	0.053	0.053	0.053	10
1930s	0.053	0.053	0.053	10
1940s	0.0587	0.053	0.065	10
1950s	0.0648	0.062	0.086	10
1960s	0.2751	0.037	0.629	10
1970s	0.0309	0.019	0.037	10
1980s	0.019	0.019	0.019	10
1990s	0.4917	0.019	0.793	10
2000s	0.8101	0.794	0.829	10
2010s	0.8319	0.766	0.86	10
2020s	0.8095	0.757	0.88	6

Countries ranked near Malawi

83 Gambia 0.775 compare
84 North Macedonia 0.768 compare
84 Sao Tome and Principe 0.768 compare
87 Israel 0.758 compare
88 Zambia 0.746 compare
89 Fiji 0.721 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Malawi

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 35,241 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 551 (2025)
Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate -33.33 % 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 551 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0016 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 Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is freedom of association index in Malawi?: Freedom of association index in Malawi was 0.767 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest freedom of association index recorded in Malawi?: The highest recorded value was 0.88 in 2022.
What is the lowest freedom of association index recorded in Malawi?: The lowest recorded value was 0.019 in 1979.
How does Malawi rank for freedom of association index?: Malawi ranks 86th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is freedom of association index rising or falling in Malawi?: Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malawi 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 Malawi. 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/malawi/

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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.