What is civil society participation index in China?

Civil society participation index in China was 0.219 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest civil society participation index recorded in China?

The highest recorded value was 0.482 in 2003.

What is the lowest civil society participation index recorded in China?

The lowest recorded value was 0.059 in 1969.

How does China rank for civil society participation index?

China ranks 160th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is civil society participation index rising or falling in China?

Over the last ten years it is down 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this China data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Society Participation Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Civil Society Participation Index in China

Name: Civil Society Participation Index in China
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

China: Civil Society Participation Index was 0.219 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.219

Change on year

down 6.8%

World rank

160th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.482

in 2003

All-time low

0.059

in 1969

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Civil Society Participation Index in China, 1789–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for civil society participation index in China is 0.219, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 38.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil society participation index in China peaked at 0.482 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.059, in 1969.

China ranks 160th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Civil Society Participation Index in China, year by year

Annual values for Civil Society Participation Index in China, 1789 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1789	0.119	—
1790	0.119	+0.0%
1791	0.119	+0.0%
1792	0.119	+0.0%
1793	0.119	+0.0%
1794	0.119	+0.0%
1795	0.119	+0.0%
1796	0.119	+0.0%
1797	0.119	+0.0%
1798	0.119	+0.0%
1799	0.119	+0.0%
1800	0.119	+0.0%
1801	0.119	+0.0%
1802	0.119	+0.0%
1803	0.119	+0.0%
1804	0.119	+0.0%
1805	0.119	+0.0%
1806	0.119	+0.0%
1807	0.119	+0.0%
1808	0.119	+0.0%
1809	0.119	+0.0%
1810	0.119	+0.0%
1811	0.119	+0.0%
1812	0.119	+0.0%
1813	0.119	+0.0%
1814	0.119	+0.0%
1815	0.119	+0.0%
1816	0.119	+0.0%
1817	0.119	+0.0%
1818	0.119	+0.0%
1819	0.119	+0.0%
1820	0.119	+0.0%
1821	0.119	+0.0%
1822	0.119	+0.0%
1823	0.119	+0.0%
1824	0.119	+0.0%
1825	0.119	+0.0%
1826	0.119	+0.0%
1827	0.119	+0.0%
1828	0.119	+0.0%
1829	0.119	+0.0%
1830	0.119	+0.0%
1831	0.119	+0.0%
1832	0.119	+0.0%
1833	0.119	+0.0%
1834	0.119	+0.0%
1835	0.119	+0.0%
1836	0.119	+0.0%
1837	0.119	+0.0%
1838	0.119	+0.0%
1839	0.119	+0.0%
1840	0.119	+0.0%
1841	0.119	+0.0%
1842	0.119	+0.0%
1843	0.119	+0.0%
1844	0.119	+0.0%
1845	0.119	+0.0%
1846	0.119	+0.0%
1847	0.119	+0.0%
1848	0.119	+0.0%
1849	0.119	+0.0%
1850	0.119	+0.0%
1851	0.119	+0.0%
1852	0.119	+0.0%
1853	0.119	+0.0%
1854	0.119	+0.0%
1855	0.119	+0.0%
1856	0.119	+0.0%
1857	0.119	+0.0%
1858	0.119	+0.0%
1859	0.119	+0.0%
1860	0.119	+0.0%
1861	0.119	+0.0%
1862	0.119	+0.0%
1863	0.119	+0.0%
1864	0.119	+0.0%
1865	0.119	+0.0%
1866	0.119	+0.0%
1867	0.119	+0.0%
1868	0.119	+0.0%
1869	0.119	+0.0%
1870	0.119	+0.0%
1871	0.119	+0.0%
1872	0.119	+0.0%
1873	0.119	+0.0%
1874	0.119	+0.0%
1875	0.119	+0.0%
1876	0.119	+0.0%
1877	0.119	+0.0%
1878	0.119	+0.0%
1879	0.119	+0.0%
1880	0.119	+0.0%
1881	0.119	+0.0%
1882	0.119	+0.0%
1883	0.119	+0.0%
1884	0.119	+0.0%
1885	0.119	+0.0%
1886	0.119	+0.0%
1887	0.119	+0.0%
1888	0.119	+0.0%
1889	0.119	+0.0%
1890	0.119	+0.0%
1891	0.119	+0.0%
1892	0.119	+0.0%
1893	0.119	+0.0%
1894	0.119	+0.0%
1895	0.119	+0.0%
1896	0.169	+42.0%
1897	0.169	+0.0%
1898	0.169	+0.0%
1899	0.122	-27.8%
1900	0.122	+0.0%
1901	0.138	+13.1%
1902	0.138	+0.0%
1903	0.138	+0.0%
1904	0.138	+0.0%
1905	0.138	+0.0%
1906	0.138	+0.0%
1907	0.138	+0.0%
1908	0.138	+0.0%
1909	0.138	+0.0%
1910	0.138	+0.0%
1911	0.16	+15.9%
1912	0.244	+52.5%
1913	0.287	+17.6%
1914	0.287	+0.0%
1915	0.287	+0.0%
1916	0.287	+0.0%
1917	0.285	-0.7%
1918	0.285	+0.0%
1919	0.329	+15.4%
1920	0.304	-7.6%
1921	0.304	+0.0%
1922	0.304	+0.0%
1923	0.304	+0.0%
1924	0.304	+0.0%
1925	0.304	+0.0%
1926	0.304	+0.0%
1927	0.343	+12.8%
1928	0.268	-21.9%
1929	0.294	+9.7%
1930	0.272	-7.5%
1931	0.272	+0.0%
1932	0.272	+0.0%
1933	0.272	+0.0%
1934	0.272	+0.0%
1935	0.272	+0.0%
1936	0.291	+7.0%
1937	0.291	+0.0%
1938	0.303	+4.1%
1939	0.293	-3.3%
1940	0.293	+0.0%
1941	0.293	+0.0%
1942	0.293	+0.0%
1943	0.293	+0.0%
1944	0.293	+0.0%
1945	0.293	+0.0%
1946	0.293	+0.0%
1947	0.293	+0.0%
1948	0.293	+0.0%
1949	0.195	-33.4%
1950	0.106	-45.6%
1951	0.106	+0.0%
1952	0.106	+0.0%
1953	0.106	+0.0%
1954	0.106	+0.0%
1955	0.106	+0.0%
1956	0.106	+0.0%
1957	0.06	-43.4%
1958	0.06	+0.0%
1959	0.06	+0.0%
1960	0.06	+0.0%
1961	0.06	+0.0%
1962	0.06	+0.0%
1963	0.06	+0.0%
1964	0.06	+0.0%
1965	0.06	+0.0%
1966	0.077	+28.3%
1967	0.077	+0.0%
1968	0.077	+0.0%
1969	0.059	-23.4%
1970	0.059	+0.0%
1971	0.059	+0.0%
1972	0.059	+0.0%
1973	0.076	+28.8%
1974	0.076	+0.0%
1975	0.076	+0.0%
1976	0.076	+0.0%
1977	0.066	-13.2%
1978	0.082	+24.2%
1979	0.153	+86.6%
1980	0.209	+36.6%
1981	0.209	+0.0%
1982	0.209	+0.0%
1983	0.209	+0.0%
1984	0.209	+0.0%
1985	0.209	+0.0%
1986	0.209	+0.0%
1987	0.246	+17.7%
1988	0.246	+0.0%
1989	0.216	-12.2%
1990	0.245	+13.4%
1991	0.253	+3.3%
1992	0.305	+20.6%
1993	0.287	-5.9%
1994	0.287	+0.0%
1995	0.275	-4.2%
1996	0.308	+12.0%
1997	0.308	+0.0%
1998	0.308	+0.0%
1999	0.314	+1.9%
2000	0.344	+9.6%
2001	0.344	+0.0%
2002	0.372	+8.1%
2003	0.482	+29.6%
2004	0.482	+0.0%
2005	0.449	-6.8%
2006	0.449	+0.0%
2007	0.449	+0.0%
2008	0.455	+1.3%
2009	0.455	+0.0%
2010	0.435	-4.4%
2011	0.435	+0.0%
2012	0.435	+0.0%
2013	0.389	-10.6%
2014	0.389	+0.0%
2015	0.354	-9.0%
2016	0.342	-3.4%
2017	0.346	+1.2%
2018	0.323	-6.6%
2019	0.32	-0.9%
2020	0.325	+1.6%
2021	0.307	-5.5%
2022	0.304	-1.0%
2023	0.257	-15.5%
2024	0.235	-8.6%
2025	0.219	-6.8%

China compared with similar countries

China's 0.219 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.666, 33% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
China's 0.219 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.666, 33% of the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.119	0.119	0.119	1
1790s	0.119	0.119	0.119	10
1800s	0.119	0.119	0.119	10
1810s	0.119	0.119	0.119	10
1820s	0.119	0.119	0.119	10
1830s	0.119	0.119	0.119	10
1840s	0.119	0.119	0.119	10
1850s	0.119	0.119	0.119	10
1860s	0.119	0.119	0.119	10
1870s	0.119	0.119	0.119	10
1880s	0.119	0.119	0.119	10
1890s	0.1343	0.119	0.169	10
1900s	0.1364	0.122	0.138	10
1910s	0.2589	0.138	0.329	10
1920s	0.3033	0.268	0.343	10
1930s	0.281	0.272	0.303	10
1940s	0.2832	0.195	0.293	10
1950s	0.0922	0.06	0.106	10
1960s	0.065	0.059	0.077	10
1970s	0.0782	0.059	0.153	10
1980s	0.2171	0.209	0.246	10
1990s	0.289	0.245	0.314	10
2000s	0.4281	0.344	0.482	10
2010s	0.3768	0.32	0.435	10
2020s	0.2745	0.219	0.325	6

Countries ranked near China

157 Bahrain 0.245 compare
158 South Sudan 0.233 compare
159 Laos 0.229 compare
161 Egypt 0.212 compare
162 Russia 0.202 compare
163 Qatar 0.181 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for China

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil society participation index in China?: Civil society participation index in China was 0.219 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil society participation index recorded in China?: The highest recorded value was 0.482 in 2003.
What is the lowest civil society participation index recorded in China?: The lowest recorded value was 0.059 in 1969.
How does China rank for civil society participation index?: China ranks 160th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is civil society participation index rising or falling in China?: Over the last ten years it is down 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Society Participation Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Civil Society Participation Index in China. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/civil-society-participation-index/china/

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About this data

Indicator: Civil Society Participation Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,063 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which major civil society organizations are routinely consulted by policymakers, how many people are involved in them, women can participate, and candidate nomination for the legislature within parties is decentralized or made through primaries.