howmuchworld

Home › Indicators › Civil society participation index

Civil society participation index

What this indicator measures

This V-Dem index estimates the extent to which major civil society organizations are consulted by policymakers, how many people take part in them, and whether women can take part.

How to read this?

The closer the index is to 1, the more active and listened to civil society is; the closer to 0, the less so.

Ranking : ranked from highest to lowest

Ctrl + scroll: zoom · drag: pan
173countries with data
0.98maximum · Germany
0.69median
0.03minimum · North Korea
2025data year(s)

In brief

The "Civil society participation index" ranking covers 173 countries and territories. Lowest value: North Korea (0.03). Highest value: Germany (0.98). Median: 0.69 (data: 2025). The top 10% of countries exceed 0.9, while the bottom 10% stay below 0.25. By continent, the median is highest in Europe (0.83) and lowest in Asia (0.47).

Median by continent

Lower Higher
  • Europe 0.83 (39)
  • Oceania 0.77 (6)
  • South America 0.77 (12)
  • North America 0.76 (15)
  • Africa 0.67 (51)
  • Asia 0.47 (47)

Why this indicator matters

Associations, unions and citizen groups relay the voice of the population. This index makes it possible to compare how far civil society is consulted, active and open to all, including women.

What makes this indicator vary

The role of civil society depends on the political regime, laws on associations, the resources available to them and the tradition of dialogue with the authorities. It changes with political developments.

Reading precautions

The index is an expert estimate with a margin of uncertainty. It summarizes several aspects in a single score. It does not measure the exact number of associations or the real influence of each on decisions.

Full ranking

ranked from highest to lowest

RankCountryValueYear
1er🇩🇪 Germany0.982025
2e🇳🇴 Norway0.972025
3e🇨🇭 Switzerland0.972025
3e🇩🇰 Denmark0.972025
5e🇺🇸 United States0.962025
6e🇮🇪 Ireland0.952025
6e🇱🇺 Luxembourg0.952025
8e🇫🇮 Finland0.952025
9e🇧🇪 Belgium0.952025
10e🇸🇪 Sweden0.942025
11e🇨🇦 Canada0.942025
12e🇲🇼 Malawi0.932025
13e🇹🇼 Taiwan0.932025
14e🇦🇺 Australia0.932025
15e🇿🇲 Zambia0.922025
16e🇸🇮 Slovenia0.912025
16e🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago0.912025
18e🇸🇱 Sierra Leone0.92025
19e🇱🇷 Liberia0.92025
20e🇧🇧 Barbados0.92025
21e🇬🇭 Ghana0.892025
22e🇱🇻 Latvia0.892025
23e🇪🇸 Spain0.892025
24e🇪🇪 Estonia0.892025
25e🇬🇧 United Kingdom0.892025
26e🇦🇹 Austria0.882025
27e🇨🇷 Costa Rica0.882025
28e🇮🇹 Italy0.882025
29e🇮🇸 Iceland0.872025
29e🇸🇳 Senegal0.872025
31e🇫🇷 France0.872025
32e🇧🇷 Brazil0.872025
33e🇧🇬 Bulgaria0.862025
33e🇳🇵 Nepal0.862025
33e🇸🇨 Seychelles0.862025
36e🇧🇼 Botswana0.862025
37e🇲🇺 Mauritius0.852025
38e🇫🇯 Fiji0.852025
39e🇧🇴 Bolivia0.852025
39e🇺🇾 Uruguay0.852025
41e🇱🇹 Lithuania0.832025
42e🇸🇷 Suriname0.832025
43e🇨🇾 Cyprus0.832025
44e🇳🇱 Netherlands0.832025
45e🇩🇴 Dominican Republic0.822025
46e🇲🇹 Malta0.822025
46e🇳🇪 Niger0.822025
46e🇻🇺 Vanuatu0.822025
49e🇱🇧 Lebanon0.812025
50e🇱🇰 Sri Lanka0.812025
51e🇰🇷 South Korea0.82025
52e🇮🇱 Israel0.82025
53e🇬🇲 Gambia0.82025
54e🇹🇿 Tanzania0.792025
55e🇨🇴 Colombia0.792025
55e🇲🇩 Moldova0.792025
57e🇳🇬 Nigeria0.792025
58e🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau0.782025
59e🇨🇿 Czechia0.782025
59e🇯🇲 Jamaica0.782025
61e🇿🇦 South Africa0.782025
62e🇨🇱 Chile0.782025
63e🇬🇾 Guyana0.772025
64e🇬🇹 Guatemala0.762025
65e🇿🇼 Zimbabwe0.762025
66e🇲🇾 Malaysia0.762025
67e🇭🇳 Honduras0.752025
67e🇹🇱 Timor-Leste0.752025
69e🇬🇷 Greece0.752025
70e🇱🇸 Lesotho0.742025
71e🇵🇱 Poland0.732025
72e🇸🇧 Solomon Islands0.732025
73e🇺🇦 Ukraine0.732025
74e🇰🇪 Kenya0.722025
75e🇬🇦 Gabon0.712025
76e🇮🇩 Indonesia0.712025
76e🇵🇹 Portugal0.712025
78e🇲🇪 Montenegro0.712025
79e🇦🇷 Argentina0.712025
79e🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire0.712025
81e🇵🇪 Peru0.712025
82e🇲🇿 Mozambique0.712025
83e🇲🇱 Mali0.72025
84e🇺🇬 Uganda0.72025
85e🇮🇶 Iraq0.72025
86e🇧🇩 Bangladesh0.72025
87e🇧🇹 Bhutan0.692025
87e🇭🇷 Croatia0.692025
87e🇮🇳 India0.692025
90e🇪🇨 Ecuador0.692025
91e🇲🇬 Madagascar0.692025
92e🇨🇻 Cape Verde0.682025
92e🇯🇵 Japan0.682025
94e🇸🇴 Somalia0.682025
95e🇲🇳 Mongolia0.682025
96e🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe0.682025
97e🇳🇦 Namibia0.672025
98e🇵🇭 Philippines0.672025
98e🇻🇳 Vietnam0.672025
100e🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina0.662025
100e🇲🇻 Maldives0.662025
100e🇸🇰 Slovakia0.662025
103e🇦🇲 Armenia0.662025
103e🇳🇿 New Zealand0.662025
103e🇷🇴 Romania0.662025
106e🇲🇦 Morocco0.652025
106e🇵🇰 Pakistan0.652025
108e🇯🇴 Jordan0.652025
109e🇹🇭 Thailand0.642025
110e🇧🇫 Burkina Faso0.642025
111e🇧🇯 Benin0.632025
111e🇵🇦 Panama0.632025
113e🇱🇾 Libya0.632025
113e🇹🇬 Togo0.632025
115e🇲🇷 Mauritania0.632025
116e🇪🇹 Ethiopia0.632025
117e🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea0.62025
118e🇦🇱 Albania0.62025
119e🇨🇬 Congo - Brazzaville0.572025
120e🇬🇪 Georgia0.552025
121e🇰🇲 Comoros0.552025
122e🇲🇰 North Macedonia0.542025
123e🇬🇳 Guinea0.532025
124e🇷🇸 Serbia0.532025
125e🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa0.522025
126e🇲🇽 Mexico0.492025
127e🇵🇾 Paraguay0.482025
128e🇭🇹 Haiti0.482025
128e🇹🇳 Tunisia0.482025
130e🇰🇼 Kuwait0.472025
131e🇨🇲 Cameroon0.472025
132e🇩🇯 Djibouti0.442025
133e🇭🇺 Hungary0.432025
134e🇦🇴 Angola0.432025
135e🇰🇿 Kazakhstan0.422025
136e🇸🇬 Singapore0.412025
137e🇸🇻 El Salvador0.412025
138e🇷🇼 Rwanda0.42025
139e🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China0.42025
140e🇹🇩 Chad0.392025
141e🇸🇿 Eswatini0.382025
142e🇻🇪 Venezuela0.382025
143e🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan0.372025
144e🇹🇷 Türkiye0.362025
145e🇸🇾 Syria0.352025
146e🇺🇿 Uzbekistan0.342025
147e🇨🇫 Central African Republic0.342025
148e🇴🇲 Oman0.322025
149e🇧🇮 Burundi0.312025
150e🇩🇿 Algeria0.32025
151e🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates0.272025
152e🇰🇭 Cambodia0.272025
153e🇾🇪 Yemen0.262025
154e🇸🇩 Sudan0.262025
155e🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia0.252025
156e🇧🇭 Bahrain0.252025
157e🇱🇦 Laos0.232025
158e🇨🇳 China0.222025
159e🇪🇬 Egypt0.212025
160e🇷🇺 Russia0.22025
161e🇶🇦 Qatar0.182025
162e🇮🇷 Iran0.152025
163e🇹🇯 Tajikistan0.152025
164e🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma)0.132025
165e🇳🇮 Nicaragua0.112025
166e🇧🇾 Belarus0.112025
167e🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea0.12025
168e🇨🇺 Cuba0.092025
169e🇦🇿 Azerbaijan0.082025
170e🇹🇲 Turkmenistan0.072025
171e🇦🇫 Afghanistan0.042025
172e🇪🇷 Eritrea0.032025
173e🇰🇵 North Korea0.032025

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest value for "Civil society participation index"?

The highest value is in Germany, at 0.98 (2025).

Which country has the lowest value for "Civil society participation index"?

The lowest value is in North Korea, at 0.03 (2025).

What is the world median value of "Civil society participation index"?

The world median is 0.69, calculated across 173 countries: half of the countries are above it, the other half below.

What is the value of "Civil society participation index" for France?

France scores 0.87 (2025), ranking 31 out of 173 countries (ranked from highest to lowest).

Where does the "Civil society participation index" data come from?

It comes from V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy), version 16 – via Our World in Data. Site last updated: November 8, 2026. Each country is shown with the year of its most recent value.

How should the scale of the index be read?

The index runs from zero to one. The closer it is to one, the more active and listened to civil society is. The closer it is to zero, the less so.

What does this index look at?

It examines whether major civil society organizations are consulted by policymakers, whether many people take part in them, and whether women can take part.

Source and update

Source : V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy), version 16 – via Our World in Data. Site last updated: November 8, 2026.

Indicators in the same category : Democracy & Elections