Freedom of Association Index in Vietnam
Vietnam: Freedom of Association Index was 0.024 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom of Association Index in Vietnam, 1976–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Vietnam recorded 0.024 for freedom of association index in 2025.
That represents a change of up 9.1% on the previous year and down 52.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of association index in Vietnam peaked at 0.072 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0.021, in 2023.
Vietnam ranks 172nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Freedom of Association Index in Vietnam, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 0.049 | — |
| 1977 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.047 | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 0.042 | -10.6% |
| 1983 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.058 | +38.1% |
| 1987 | 0.071 | +22.4% |
| 1988 | 0.072 | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 0.056 | -22.2% |
| 1990 | 0.05 | -10.7% |
| 1991 | 0.05 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.045 | -10.0% |
| 1993 | 0.05 | +11.1% |
| 1994 | 0.05 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.05 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.053 | +6.0% |
| 1997 | 0.052 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.049 | -5.8% |
| 2001 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.051 | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 0.053 | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.053 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.054 | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 0.054 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.054 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.051 | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 0.053 | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 0.052 | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 0.051 | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 0.049 | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 0.05 | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 0.05 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.047 | -6.0% |
| 2017 | 0.044 | -6.4% |
| 2018 | 0.044 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.044 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.044 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.043 | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 0.025 | -41.9% |
| 2023 | 0.021 | -16.0% |
| 2024 | 0.022 | +4.8% |
| 2025 | 0.024 | +9.1% |
Vietnam compared with similar countries
- Vietnam's 0.024 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7185, 3% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Vietnam's 0.024 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.708, 3% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Freedom of Association Index in Vietnam 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -41.9% | 0.043 | 0.025 |
| 1986 | +38.1% | 0.042 | 0.058 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.049 | 0.049 | 0.049 | 4 |
| 1980s | 0.0521 | 0.042 | 0.072 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0504 | 0.045 | 0.053 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0521 | 0.049 | 0.054 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0484 | 0.044 | 0.053 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0298 | 0.021 | 0.044 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vietnam
- 169 China 0.03 compare
- 170 Saudi Arabia 0.026 compare
- 171 North Korea 0.025 compare
- 173 Afghanistan 0.023 compare
- 173 Eritrea 0.023 compare
- 173 Eswatini 0.023 compare
More social development data for Vietnam
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20,636 (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 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20,636 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom of association index in Vietnam?
- Freedom of association index in Vietnam was 0.024 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of association index recorded in Vietnam?
- The highest recorded value was 0.072 in 1988.
- What is the lowest freedom of association index recorded in Vietnam?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.021 in 2023.
- How does Vietnam rank for freedom of association index?
- Vietnam ranks 172nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of association index rising or falling in Vietnam?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vietnam 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 — 50 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.