howmuchworld

Home › Indicators › Freedom of association index

Freedom of association index

What this indicator measures

This V-Dem index estimates the extent to which parties, including opposition parties, can form and run in elections, and the extent to which civil society organizations can be created and operate freely.

How to read this?

The closer the index is to 1, the more freely people can associate and found parties; the closer to 0, the more restricted it is.

Ranking : ranked from highest to lowest

Ctrl + scroll: zoom · drag: pan
173countries with data
0.93maximum · Sweden
0.76median
0.02minimum · Cuba
2025data year(s)

In brief

The "Freedom of association index" ranking covers 173 countries and territories. Lowest value: Cuba (0.02). Highest value: Sweden (0.93). Median: 0.76 (data: 2025). The top 10% of countries exceed 0.89, while the bottom 10% stay below 0.11. By continent, the median is highest in Oceania (0.88) and lowest in Asia (0.5).

Median by continent

Lower Higher
  • Oceania 0.88 (6)
  • North America 0.87 (15)
  • Europe 0.86 (39)
  • South America 0.83 (12)
  • Africa 0.51 (51)
  • Asia 0.5 (47)

Why this indicator matters

Being able to found a party, an association or a trade union is a foundation of democratic life. This index makes it possible to compare the freedom to organize collectively and to field candidates.

What makes this indicator vary

Freedom of association depends on the regime, laws on parties and NGOs, registration procedures and the security context. Reforms can widen or restrict it, sometimes quickly.

Reading precautions

The index combines political parties and civil society organizations into a single rating. It is based on V-Dem expert assessments, so on judgment. It measures the general situation, not each individual case.

Full ranking

ranked from highest to lowest

RankCountryValueYear
1er🇸🇪 Sweden0.932025
2e🇩🇰 Denmark0.932025
3e🇯🇵 Japan0.922025
4e🇨🇷 Costa Rica0.922025
5e🇨🇭 Switzerland0.922025
5e🇮🇸 Iceland0.922025
7e🇪🇸 Spain0.922025
7e🇳🇴 Norway0.922025
9e🇺🇸 United States0.912025
10e🇮🇪 Ireland0.912025
11e🇪🇪 Estonia0.912025
12e🇲🇹 Malta0.92025
12e🇺🇾 Uruguay0.92025
14e🇧🇪 Belgium0.92025
15e🇱🇺 Luxembourg0.92025
16e🇨🇾 Cyprus0.892025
17e🇹🇼 Taiwan0.892025
18e🇨🇴 Colombia0.892025
19e🇫🇷 France0.892025
20e🇬🇭 Ghana0.892025
20e🇱🇻 Latvia0.892025
22e🇲🇺 Mauritius0.892025
22e🇳🇿 New Zealand0.892025
24e🇦🇹 Austria0.882025
24e🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago0.882025
26e🇧🇷 Brazil0.882025
27e🇵🇦 Panama0.882025
27e🇸🇷 Suriname0.882025
29e🇧🇧 Barbados0.882025
29e🇯🇲 Jamaica0.882025
29e🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea0.882025
32e🇦🇺 Australia0.882025
32e🇩🇴 Dominican Republic0.882025
34e🇮🇹 Italy0.882025
35e🇨🇻 Cape Verde0.872025
35e🇵🇹 Portugal0.872025
35e🇸🇧 Solomon Islands0.872025
38e🇱🇸 Lesotho0.872025
39e🇨🇿 Czechia0.872025
40e🇭🇳 Honduras0.872025
41e🇳🇦 Namibia0.872025
41e🇿🇦 South Africa0.872025
43e🇦🇲 Armenia0.872025
44e🇲🇪 Montenegro0.872025
44e🇳🇱 Netherlands0.872025
44e🇳🇵 Nepal0.872025
47e🇨🇦 Canada0.872025
48e🇫🇮 Finland0.862025
49e🇵🇱 Poland0.862025
50e🇸🇮 Slovenia0.862025
51e🇨🇱 Chile0.862025
52e🇬🇧 United Kingdom0.862025
53e🇱🇰 Sri Lanka0.852025
54e🇩🇪 Germany0.852025
55e🇧🇼 Botswana0.852025
56e🇳🇬 Nigeria0.852025
57e🇹🇱 Timor-Leste0.842025
58e🇱🇹 Lithuania0.842025
59e🇦🇷 Argentina0.842025
59e🇰🇷 South Korea0.842025
59e🇸🇰 Slovakia0.842025
62e🇸🇱 Sierra Leone0.842025
63e🇬🇹 Guatemala0.832025
64e🇧🇬 Bulgaria0.832025
64e🇸🇨 Seychelles0.832025
66e🇻🇺 Vanuatu0.832025
67e🇬🇾 Guyana0.822025
67e🇭🇷 Croatia0.822025
69e🇲🇬 Madagascar0.812025
70e🇲🇩 Moldova0.812025
71e🇱🇷 Liberia0.812025
72e🇷🇴 Romania0.812025
73e🇧🇴 Bolivia0.812025
74e🇬🇷 Greece0.82025
75e🇵🇾 Paraguay0.82025
76e🇸🇳 Senegal0.82025
77e🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina0.792025
77e🇰🇪 Kenya0.792025
79e🇲🇾 Malaysia0.792025
80e🇦🇱 Albania0.792025
81e🇲🇻 Maldives0.782025
81e🇵🇪 Peru0.782025
83e🇬🇲 Gambia0.782025
84e🇲🇰 North Macedonia0.772025
84e🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe0.772025
86e🇲🇼 Malawi0.772025
87e🇮🇱 Israel0.762025
88e🇿🇲 Zambia0.752025
89e🇫🇯 Fiji0.722025
90e🇪🇨 Ecuador0.722025
91e🇲🇳 Mongolia0.722025
92e🇱🇧 Lebanon0.722025
93e🇲🇽 Mexico0.72025
94e🇵🇭 Philippines0.72025
95e🇹🇭 Thailand0.662025
96e🇬🇪 Georgia0.652025
96e🇸🇻 El Salvador0.652025
98e🇮🇩 Indonesia0.642025
99e🇧🇯 Benin0.622025
100e🇯🇴 Jordan0.622025
100e🇹🇿 Tanzania0.622025
102e🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire0.622025
103e🇭🇹 Haiti0.612025
104e🇦🇴 Angola0.612025
105e🇧🇹 Bhutan0.612025
105e🇬🇦 Gabon0.612025
107e🇭🇺 Hungary0.612025
108e🇸🇬 Singapore0.592025
109e🇮🇳 India0.592025
110e🇮🇶 Iraq0.582025
111e🇷🇸 Serbia0.582025
112e🇳🇪 Niger0.572025
113e🇹🇷 Türkiye0.572025
114e🇲🇦 Morocco0.552025
115e🇺🇦 Ukraine0.542025
116e🇧🇩 Bangladesh0.542025
117e🇹🇬 Togo0.532025
118e🇲🇿 Mozambique0.522025
119e🇰🇲 Comoros0.512025
119e🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau0.512025
121e🇱🇾 Libya0.512025
122e🇵🇰 Pakistan0.52025
123e🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa0.482025
124e🇹🇳 Tunisia0.482025
125e🇨🇫 Central African Republic0.462025
126e🇸🇴 Somalia0.452025
127e🇨🇬 Congo - Brazzaville0.432025
128e🇬🇳 Guinea0.422025
128e🇿🇼 Zimbabwe0.422025
130e🇲🇷 Mauritania0.422025
131e🇹🇩 Chad0.42025
132e🇩🇯 Djibouti0.392025
133e🇺🇬 Uganda0.382025
134e🇪🇹 Ethiopia0.342025
135e🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan0.342025
136e🇨🇲 Cameroon0.342025
137e🇲🇱 Mali0.322025
138e🇧🇫 Burkina Faso0.312025
139e🇩🇿 Algeria0.32025
140e🇾🇪 Yemen0.292025
141e🇰🇿 Kazakhstan0.292025
142e🇸🇩 Sudan0.242025
143e🇧🇮 Burundi0.232025
144e🇻🇪 Venezuela0.222025
145e🇰🇭 Cambodia0.22025
146e🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China0.182025
147e🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea0.172025
148e🇪🇬 Egypt0.162025
148e🇸🇾 Syria0.162025
150e🇺🇿 Uzbekistan0.152025
151e🇷🇼 Rwanda0.142025
152e🇦🇿 Azerbaijan0.142025
153e🇧🇭 Bahrain0.142025
154e🇷🇺 Russia0.122025
155e🇹🇯 Tajikistan0.112025
156e🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma)0.112025
157e🇮🇷 Iran0.092025
158e🇧🇾 Belarus0.072025
158e🇰🇼 Kuwait0.072025
160e🇹🇲 Turkmenistan0.062025
161e🇴🇲 Oman0.052025
162e🇱🇦 Laos0.052025
163e🇳🇮 Nicaragua0.042025
164e🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates0.042025
165e🇶🇦 Qatar0.042025
166e🇨🇳 China0.032025
167e🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia0.032025
168e🇰🇵 North Korea0.032025
169e🇻🇳 Vietnam0.022025
170e🇦🇫 Afghanistan0.022025
170e🇪🇷 Eritrea0.022025
170e🇸🇿 Eswatini0.022025
173e🇨🇺 Cuba0.022025

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest value for "Freedom of association index"?

The highest value is in Sweden, at 0.93 (2025).

Which country has the lowest value for "Freedom of association index"?

The lowest value is in Cuba, at 0.02 (2025).

What is the world median value of "Freedom of association index"?

The world median is 0.76, calculated across 173 countries: half of the countries are above it, the other half below.

What is the value of "Freedom of association index" for France?

France scores 0.89 (2025), ranking 19 out of 173 countries (ranked from highest to lowest).

Where does the "Freedom of association 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.

What is meant by freedom of association?

It is the right to come together in an organized group: political parties, associations, trade unions or NGOs, without abusive authorization or unjustified obstacles from the state.

How should this rating be read?

The index ranges from zero to one. The closer it is to one, the more freely parties and organizations can be formed. The closer to zero, the more restricted it is.

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 : Civil Liberties & Human Rights