What is clientelism index in Afghanistan?

Clientelism index in Afghanistan was 0.948 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Afghanistan?

The highest recorded value was 0.948 in 2025.

What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Afghanistan?

The lowest recorded value was 0.405 in 2001.

How does Afghanistan rank for clientelism index?

Afghanistan ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is clientelism index rising or falling in Afghanistan?

Over the last ten years it is up 44.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Afghanistan data come from?

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

Clientelism Index in Afghanistan

Name: Clientelism Index in Afghanistan
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Afghanistan: Clientelism Index was 0.948 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)

0.948

Change on year

up 8.5%

World rank

1st

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.948

in 2025

All-time low

0.405

in 2001

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Clientelism Index in Afghanistan, 1789–2025

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

Analysis

Afghanistan recorded 0.948 for clientelism index in 2025. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.

That represents a change of up 8.5% on the previous year and up 44.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, clientelism index in Afghanistan peaked at 0.948 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.405, in 2001.

Afghanistan ranks 1st of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 237 years of available data.

Clientelism Index in Afghanistan, year by year

Annual values for Clientelism Index in Afghanistan, 1789 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1789	0.817	—
1790	0.817	+0.0%
1791	0.817	+0.0%
1792	0.817	+0.0%
1793	0.817	+0.0%
1794	0.817	+0.0%
1795	0.817	+0.0%
1796	0.817	+0.0%
1797	0.817	+0.0%
1798	0.817	+0.0%
1799	0.817	+0.0%
1800	0.817	+0.0%
1801	0.817	+0.0%
1802	0.817	+0.0%
1803	0.817	+0.0%
1804	0.817	+0.0%
1805	0.817	+0.0%
1806	0.817	+0.0%
1807	0.817	+0.0%
1808	0.817	+0.0%
1809	0.817	+0.0%
1810	0.817	+0.0%
1811	0.817	+0.0%
1812	0.817	+0.0%
1813	0.817	+0.0%
1814	0.817	+0.0%
1815	0.817	+0.0%
1816	0.817	+0.0%
1817	0.817	+0.0%
1818	0.817	+0.0%
1819	0.817	+0.0%
1820	0.817	+0.0%
1821	0.817	+0.0%
1822	0.817	+0.0%
1823	0.817	+0.0%
1824	0.817	+0.0%
1825	0.817	+0.0%
1826	0.817	+0.0%
1827	0.817	+0.0%
1828	0.817	+0.0%
1829	0.817	+0.0%
1830	0.817	+0.0%
1831	0.817	+0.0%
1832	0.817	+0.0%
1833	0.817	+0.0%
1834	0.817	+0.0%
1835	0.817	+0.0%
1836	0.817	+0.0%
1837	0.817	+0.0%
1838	0.817	+0.0%
1839	0.817	+0.0%
1840	0.817	+0.0%
1841	0.817	+0.0%
1842	0.817	+0.0%
1843	0.817	+0.0%
1844	0.817	+0.0%
1845	0.817	+0.0%
1846	0.817	+0.0%
1847	0.817	+0.0%
1848	0.817	+0.0%
1849	0.817	+0.0%
1850	0.817	+0.0%
1851	0.817	+0.0%
1852	0.817	+0.0%
1853	0.817	+0.0%
1854	0.817	+0.0%
1855	0.817	+0.0%
1856	0.817	+0.0%
1857	0.817	+0.0%
1858	0.817	+0.0%
1859	0.817	+0.0%
1860	0.817	+0.0%
1861	0.817	+0.0%
1862	0.817	+0.0%
1863	0.817	+0.0%
1864	0.817	+0.0%
1865	0.817	+0.0%
1866	0.817	+0.0%
1867	0.817	+0.0%
1868	0.817	+0.0%
1869	0.817	+0.0%
1870	0.817	+0.0%
1871	0.817	+0.0%
1872	0.817	+0.0%
1873	0.817	+0.0%
1874	0.817	+0.0%
1875	0.817	+0.0%
1876	0.817	+0.0%
1877	0.817	+0.0%
1878	0.817	+0.0%
1879	0.817	+0.0%
1880	0.817	+0.0%
1881	0.817	+0.0%
1882	0.817	+0.0%
1883	0.817	+0.0%
1884	0.817	+0.0%
1885	0.817	+0.0%
1886	0.817	+0.0%
1887	0.817	+0.0%
1888	0.817	+0.0%
1889	0.817	+0.0%
1890	0.817	+0.0%
1891	0.817	+0.0%
1892	0.817	+0.0%
1893	0.817	+0.0%
1894	0.817	+0.0%
1895	0.817	+0.0%
1896	0.817	+0.0%
1897	0.817	+0.0%
1898	0.817	+0.0%
1899	0.817	+0.0%
1900	0.817	+0.0%
1901	0.817	+0.0%
1902	0.817	+0.0%
1903	0.817	+0.0%
1904	0.817	+0.0%
1905	0.817	+0.0%
1906	0.817	+0.0%
1907	0.817	+0.0%
1908	0.817	+0.0%
1909	0.817	+0.0%
1910	0.817	+0.0%
1911	0.817	+0.0%
1912	0.817	+0.0%
1913	0.817	+0.0%
1914	0.817	+0.0%
1915	0.817	+0.0%
1916	0.817	+0.0%
1917	0.817	+0.0%
1918	0.817	+0.0%
1919	0.817	+0.0%
1920	0.525	-35.7%
1921	0.525	+0.0%
1922	0.525	+0.0%
1923	0.525	+0.0%
1924	0.525	+0.0%
1925	0.525	+0.0%
1926	0.525	+0.0%
1927	0.525	+0.0%
1928	0.525	+0.0%
1929	0.525	+0.0%
1930	0.569	+8.4%
1931	0.618	+8.6%
1932	0.618	+0.0%
1933	0.618	+0.0%
1934	0.596	-3.6%
1935	0.596	+0.0%
1936	0.596	+0.0%
1937	0.587	-1.5%
1938	0.587	+0.0%
1939	0.587	+0.0%
1940	0.606	+3.2%
1941	0.606	+0.0%
1942	0.606	+0.0%
1943	0.616	+1.7%
1944	0.616	+0.0%
1945	0.616	+0.0%
1946	0.608	-1.3%
1947	0.608	+0.0%
1948	0.608	+0.0%
1949	0.566	-6.9%
1950	0.552	-2.5%
1951	0.552	+0.0%
1952	0.606	+9.8%
1953	0.611	+0.8%
1954	0.611	+0.0%
1955	0.611	+0.0%
1956	0.611	+0.0%
1957	0.611	+0.0%
1958	0.592	-3.1%
1959	0.592	+0.0%
1960	0.592	+0.0%
1961	0.601	+1.5%
1962	0.604	+0.5%
1963	0.584	-3.3%
1964	0.584	+0.0%
1965	0.56	-4.1%
1966	0.505	-9.8%
1967	0.505	+0.0%
1968	0.505	+0.0%
1969	0.511	+1.2%
1970	0.521	+2.0%
1971	0.521	+0.0%
1972	0.521	+0.0%
1973	0.526	+1.0%
1974	0.526	+0.0%
1975	0.526	+0.0%
1976	0.526	+0.0%
1977	0.526	+0.0%
1978	0.585	+11.2%
1979	0.664	+13.5%
1980	0.664	+0.0%
1981	0.664	+0.0%
1982	0.664	+0.0%
1983	0.664	+0.0%
1984	0.664	+0.0%
1985	0.664	+0.0%
1986	0.664	+0.0%
1987	0.664	+0.0%
1988	0.686	+3.3%
1989	0.693	+1.0%
1990	0.747	+7.8%
1991	0.747	+0.0%
1992	0.811	+8.6%
1993	0.811	+0.0%
1994	0.811	+0.0%
1995	0.811	+0.0%
1996	0.811	+0.0%
1997	0.832	+2.6%
1998	0.832	+0.0%
1999	0.832	+0.0%
2000	0.832	+0.0%
2001	0.405	-51.3%
2002	0.422	+4.2%
2003	0.422	+0.0%
2004	0.452	+7.1%
2005	0.566	+25.2%
2006	0.566	+0.0%
2007	0.566	+0.0%
2008	0.566	+0.0%
2009	0.586	+3.5%
2010	0.631	+7.7%
2011	0.655	+3.8%
2012	0.654	-0.2%
2013	0.682	+4.3%
2014	0.666	-2.3%
2015	0.658	-1.2%
2016	0.631	-4.1%
2017	0.66	+4.6%
2018	0.667	+1.1%
2019	0.694	+4.0%
2020	0.668	-3.7%
2021	0.896	+34.1%
2022	0.928	+3.6%
2023	0.928	+0.0%
2024	0.874	-5.8%
2025	0.948	+8.5%

Afghanistan compared with similar countries

Afghanistan's 0.948 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.692, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Afghanistan's 0.948 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.572, 1.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.817	0.817	0.817	1
1790s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1800s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1810s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1820s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1830s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1840s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1850s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1860s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1870s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1880s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1890s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1900s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1910s	0.817	0.817	0.817	10
1920s	0.525	0.525	0.525	10
1930s	0.5972	0.569	0.618	10
1940s	0.6056	0.566	0.616	10
1950s	0.5949	0.552	0.611	10
1960s	0.5551	0.505	0.604	10
1970s	0.5442	0.521	0.664	10
1980s	0.6691	0.664	0.693	10
1990s	0.8045	0.747	0.832	10
2000s	0.5383	0.405	0.832	10
2010s	0.6598	0.631	0.694	10
2020s	0.8737	0.668	0.948	6

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8991 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.89 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.63 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4362 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 6.63 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.01 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.847 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 18.65 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.38 (2050)

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is clientelism index in Afghanistan?: Clientelism index in Afghanistan was 0.948 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Afghanistan?: The highest recorded value was 0.948 in 2025.
What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Afghanistan?: The lowest recorded value was 0.405 in 2001.
How does Afghanistan rank for clientelism index?: Afghanistan ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is clientelism index rising or falling in Afghanistan?: Over the last ten years it is up 44.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Clientelism Index. 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Clientelism Index in Afghanistan. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/clientelism-index/afghanistan/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/clientelism-index/afghanistan/">Clientelism Index in Afghanistan</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Clientelism Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 24,366 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Composite index measuring the extent to which politics hinge on clientelistic exchanges of targeted goods, jobs, or cash for electoral support; higher values denote more pervasive clientelism.