What is freedom of association index in Sweden?

Freedom of association index in Sweden was 0.931 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

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

The highest recorded value was 0.935 in 2015.

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

The lowest recorded value was 0.248 in 1800.

How does Sweden rank for freedom of association index?

Sweden ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is freedom of association index rising or falling in Sweden?

Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Sweden 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 Sweden

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

Sweden: Freedom of Association Index was 0.931 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.931

Change on year

up 1.1%

World rank

1st

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.935

in 2015

All-time low

0.248

in 1800

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Freedom of Association Index in Sweden, 1789–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, freedom of association index in Sweden stood at 0.931.

The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, freedom of association index in Sweden peaked at 0.935 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.248, in 1800.

That places Sweden 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Freedom of Association Index in Sweden, year by year

Annual values for Freedom of Association Index in Sweden, 1789 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1789	0.249	—
1790	0.249	+0.0%
1791	0.249	+0.0%
1792	0.251	+0.8%
1793	0.251	+0.0%
1794	0.251	+0.0%
1795	0.251	+0.0%
1796	0.251	+0.0%
1797	0.251	+0.0%
1798	0.251	+0.0%
1799	0.251	+0.0%
1800	0.248	-1.2%
1801	0.248	+0.0%
1802	0.248	+0.0%
1803	0.248	+0.0%
1804	0.248	+0.0%
1805	0.248	+0.0%
1806	0.248	+0.0%
1807	0.248	+0.0%
1808	0.248	+0.0%
1809	0.584	+135.5%
1810	0.596	+2.1%
1811	0.596	+0.0%
1812	0.597	+0.2%
1813	0.597	+0.0%
1814	0.597	+0.0%
1815	0.6	+0.5%
1816	0.6	+0.0%
1817	0.601	+0.2%
1818	0.601	+0.0%
1819	0.601	+0.0%
1820	0.601	+0.0%
1821	0.601	+0.0%
1822	0.601	+0.0%
1823	0.59	-1.8%
1824	0.59	+0.0%
1825	0.59	+0.0%
1826	0.59	+0.0%
1827	0.59	+0.0%
1828	0.601	+1.9%
1829	0.601	+0.0%
1830	0.601	+0.0%
1831	0.601	+0.0%
1832	0.601	+0.0%
1833	0.601	+0.0%
1834	0.588	-2.2%
1835	0.588	+0.0%
1836	0.588	+0.0%
1837	0.588	+0.0%
1838	0.588	+0.0%
1839	0.588	+0.0%
1840	0.844	+43.5%
1841	0.844	+0.0%
1842	0.844	+0.0%
1843	0.844	+0.0%
1844	0.842	-0.2%
1845	0.842	+0.0%
1846	0.842	+0.0%
1847	0.837	-0.6%
1848	0.837	+0.0%
1849	0.837	+0.0%
1850	0.84	+0.4%
1851	0.84	+0.0%
1852	0.84	+0.0%
1853	0.84	+0.0%
1854	0.84	+0.0%
1855	0.84	+0.0%
1856	0.839	-0.1%
1857	0.839	+0.0%
1858	0.839	+0.0%
1859	0.842	+0.4%
1860	0.842	+0.0%
1861	0.842	+0.0%
1862	0.838	-0.5%
1863	0.838	+0.0%
1864	0.838	+0.0%
1865	0.841	+0.4%
1866	0.841	+0.0%
1867	0.841	+0.0%
1868	0.841	+0.0%
1869	0.84	-0.1%
1870	0.84	+0.0%
1871	0.84	+0.0%
1872	0.841	+0.1%
1873	0.841	+0.0%
1874	0.841	+0.0%
1875	0.841	+0.0%
1876	0.841	+0.0%
1877	0.841	+0.0%
1878	0.84	-0.1%
1879	0.84	+0.0%
1880	0.84	+0.0%
1881	0.842	+0.2%
1882	0.842	+0.0%
1883	0.842	+0.0%
1884	0.839	-0.4%
1885	0.839	+0.0%
1886	0.839	+0.0%
1887	0.837	-0.2%
1888	0.836	-0.1%
1889	0.836	+0.0%
1890	0.836	+0.0%
1891	0.836	+0.0%
1892	0.836	+0.0%
1893	0.838	+0.2%
1894	0.838	+0.0%
1895	0.838	+0.0%
1896	0.841	+0.4%
1897	0.841	+0.0%
1898	0.841	+0.0%
1899	0.842	+0.1%
1900	0.842	+0.0%
1901	0.842	+0.0%
1902	0.836	-0.7%
1903	0.822	-1.7%
1904	0.822	+0.0%
1905	0.822	+0.0%
1906	0.821	-0.1%
1907	0.821	+0.0%
1908	0.82	-0.1%
1909	0.817	-0.4%
1910	0.817	+0.0%
1911	0.821	+0.5%
1912	0.828	+0.9%
1913	0.828	+0.0%
1914	0.833	+0.6%
1915	0.835	+0.2%
1916	0.835	+0.0%
1917	0.836	+0.1%
1918	0.84	+0.5%
1919	0.84	+0.0%
1920	0.841	+0.1%
1921	0.849	+1.0%
1922	0.86	+1.3%
1923	0.86	+0.0%
1924	0.862	+0.2%
1925	0.866	+0.5%
1926	0.866	+0.0%
1927	0.866	+0.0%
1928	0.864	-0.2%
1929	0.859	-0.6%
1930	0.859	+0.0%
1931	0.853	-0.7%
1932	0.858	+0.6%
1933	0.86	+0.2%
1934	0.86	+0.0%
1935	0.86	+0.0%
1936	0.859	-0.1%
1937	0.856	-0.3%
1938	0.856	+0.0%
1939	0.871	+1.8%
1940	0.87	-0.1%
1941	0.87	+0.0%
1942	0.87	+0.0%
1943	0.87	+0.0%
1944	0.87	+0.0%
1945	0.908	+4.4%
1946	0.924	+1.8%
1947	0.924	+0.0%
1948	0.924	+0.0%
1949	0.923	-0.1%
1950	0.923	+0.0%
1951	0.923	+0.0%
1952	0.923	+0.0%
1953	0.922	-0.1%
1954	0.922	+0.0%
1955	0.922	+0.0%
1956	0.923	+0.1%
1957	0.925	+0.2%
1958	0.923	-0.2%
1959	0.922	-0.1%
1960	0.923	+0.1%
1961	0.924	+0.1%
1962	0.924	+0.0%
1963	0.924	+0.0%
1964	0.923	-0.1%
1965	0.922	-0.1%
1966	0.922	+0.0%
1967	0.922	+0.0%
1968	0.922	+0.0%
1969	0.924	+0.2%
1970	0.924	+0.0%
1971	0.924	+0.0%
1972	0.924	+0.0%
1973	0.924	+0.0%
1974	0.932	+0.9%
1975	0.932	+0.0%
1976	0.932	+0.0%
1977	0.932	+0.0%
1978	0.932	+0.0%
1979	0.933	+0.1%
1980	0.933	+0.0%
1981	0.933	+0.0%
1982	0.934	+0.1%
1983	0.934	+0.0%
1984	0.934	+0.0%
1985	0.933	-0.1%
1986	0.932	-0.1%
1987	0.932	+0.0%
1988	0.932	+0.0%
1989	0.934	+0.2%
1990	0.934	+0.0%
1991	0.933	-0.1%
1992	0.931	-0.2%
1993	0.931	+0.0%
1994	0.931	+0.0%
1995	0.932	+0.1%
1996	0.932	+0.0%
1997	0.932	+0.0%
1998	0.932	+0.0%
1999	0.932	+0.0%
2000	0.932	+0.0%
2001	0.932	+0.0%
2002	0.932	+0.0%
2003	0.934	+0.2%
2004	0.934	+0.0%
2005	0.934	+0.0%
2006	0.934	+0.0%
2007	0.934	+0.0%
2008	0.934	+0.0%
2009	0.934	+0.0%
2010	0.934	+0.0%
2011	0.934	+0.0%
2012	0.934	+0.0%
2013	0.934	+0.0%
2014	0.934	+0.0%
2015	0.935	+0.1%
2016	0.935	+0.0%
2017	0.935	+0.0%
2018	0.934	-0.1%
2019	0.933	-0.1%
2020	0.933	+0.0%
2021	0.933	+0.0%
2022	0.924	-1.0%
2023	0.921	-0.3%
2024	0.921	+0.0%
2025	0.931	+1.1%

Sweden compared with similar countries

Sweden's 0.931 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.868, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Sweden's 0.931 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.8555, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.249	0.249	0.249	1
1790s	0.2506	0.249	0.251	10
1800s	0.2816	0.248	0.584	10
1810s	0.5986	0.596	0.601	10
1820s	0.5955	0.59	0.601	10
1830s	0.5932	0.588	0.601	10
1840s	0.8413	0.837	0.844	10
1850s	0.8399	0.839	0.842	10
1860s	0.8402	0.838	0.842	10
1870s	0.8406	0.84	0.841	10
1880s	0.8392	0.836	0.842	10
1890s	0.8387	0.836	0.842	10
1900s	0.8265	0.817	0.842	10
1910s	0.8313	0.817	0.84	10
1920s	0.8593	0.841	0.866	10
1930s	0.8592	0.853	0.871	10
1940s	0.8953	0.87	0.924	10
1950s	0.9228	0.922	0.925	10
1960s	0.923	0.922	0.924	10
1970s	0.9289	0.924	0.933	10
1980s	0.9331	0.932	0.934	10
1990s	0.932	0.931	0.934	10
2000s	0.9334	0.932	0.934	10
2010s	0.9342	0.933	0.935	10
2020s	0.9272	0.921	0.933	6

Countries ranked near Sweden

2 Denmark 0.929 compare
3 Japan 0.924 compare
4 Costa Rica 0.922 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Sweden

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 144,116 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (2025)
Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 128 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0136 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 Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is freedom of association index in Sweden?: Freedom of association index in Sweden was 0.931 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest freedom of association index recorded in Sweden?: The highest recorded value was 0.935 in 2015.
What is the lowest freedom of association index recorded in Sweden?: The lowest recorded value was 0.248 in 1800.
How does Sweden rank for freedom of association index?: Sweden ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is freedom of association index rising or falling in Sweden?: Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sweden 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 Sweden. 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/sweden/

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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.