Statizoid

Liberal democracy in India

India: Liberal democracy was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
87th
of 176 countries
All-time high
2
in 1952
All-time low
0
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Liberal democracy in India, 1789–2025

00.511.52178919072025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for liberal democracy in India is 1, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 50.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, liberal democracy in India peaked at 2 in 1952 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.

India ranks 87th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0 0 0 1
1790s 0 0 0 10
1800s 0 0 0 10
1810s 0 0 0 10
1820s 0 0 0 10
1830s 0 0 0 10
1840s 0 0 0 10
1850s 0 0 0 10
1860s 0 0 0 10
1870s 0 0 0 10
1880s 0 0 0 10
1890s 0 0 0 10
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0.2 0 1 10
1950s 1.7 0 2 10
1960s 2 2 2 10
1970s 1.7 1 2 10
1980s 2 2 2 10
1990s 2 2 2 10
2000s 2 2 2 10
2010s 1.7 1 2 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

Countries ranked near India

  1. 87 Albania 1 compare
  2. 87 Algeria 1 compare
  3. 87 Angola 1 compare
  4. 87 Azerbaijan 1 compare
  5. 87 Benin 1 compare
  6. 87 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
  7. 87 Burundi 1 compare
  8. 87 Cambodia 1 compare
  9. 87 Cameroon 1 compare
  10. 87 Central African Republic 1 compare
  11. 87 Chad 1 compare
  12. 87 Comoros 1 compare
  13. 87 Congo 1 compare
  14. 87 Cote d'Ivoire 1 compare
  15. 87 Democratic Republic of Congo 1 compare
  16. 87 Djibouti 1 compare
  17. 87 Egypt 1 compare
  18. 87 El Salvador 1 compare
  19. 87 Equatorial Guinea 1 compare
  20. 87 Ethiopia 1 compare
  21. 87 Gabon 1 compare
  22. 87 Georgia 1 compare
  23. 87 Hungary 1 compare
  24. 87 Indonesia 1 compare
  25. 87 Iran 1 compare
  26. 87 Iraq 1 compare
  27. 87 Kazakhstan 1 compare
  28. 87 Kyrgyzstan 1 compare
  29. 87 Lebanon 1 compare
  30. 87 Mauritania 1 compare
  31. 87 Mexico 1 compare
  32. 87 Mozambique 1 compare
  33. 87 Nicaragua 1 compare
  34. 87 Pakistan 1 compare
  35. 87 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
  36. 87 Philippines 1 compare
  37. 87 Russia 1 compare
  38. 87 Rwanda 1 compare
  39. 87 Serbia 1 compare
  40. 87 Sierra Leone 1 compare
  41. 87 Singapore 1 compare
  42. 87 Tajikistan 1 compare
  43. 87 Tanzania 1 compare
  44. 87 Thailand 1 compare
  45. 87 Togo 1 compare
  46. 87 Tunisia 1 compare
  47. 87 Turkey 1 compare
  48. 87 Turkmenistan 1 compare
  49. 87 Uganda 1 compare
  50. 87 Ukraine 1 compare
  51. 87 Uzbekistan 1 compare
  52. 87 Venezuela 1 compare
  53. 87 Zambia 1 compare
  54. 87 Zimbabwe 1 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy in India?
Liberal democracy in India was 1 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 2 in 1952.
What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
How does India rank for liberal democracy?
India ranks 87th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal democracy rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Liberal democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Liberal democracy
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,594 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.