Clientelism Index in Afghanistan

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

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 2 South Sudan 0.927 compare
  2. 3 Chad 0.9 compare
  3. 4 Venezuela 0.898 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

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).

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

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.