Clientelism Index in Estonia
Estonia: Clientelism Index was 0.058 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Clientelism Index in Estonia, 1918–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, clientelism index in Estonia stood at 0.058. That is the lowest value across all 58 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, clientelism index in Estonia peaked at 0.249 in 1929 and was at its lowest, 0.058, in 2021.
Estonia ranks 168th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 58 years of available data.
Clientelism Index in Estonia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 0.183 | — |
| 1919 | 0.151 | -17.5% |
| 1920 | 0.223 | +47.7% |
| 1921 | 0.215 | -3.6% |
| 1922 | 0.215 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.222 | +3.3% |
| 1924 | 0.225 | +1.4% |
| 1925 | 0.225 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.231 | +2.7% |
| 1927 | 0.248 | +7.4% |
| 1928 | 0.248 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.249 | +0.4% |
| 1930 | 0.249 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.249 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.244 | -2.0% |
| 1933 | 0.24 | -1.6% |
| 1934 | 0.175 | -27.1% |
| 1935 | 0.175 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.174 | -0.6% |
| 1937 | 0.168 | -3.4% |
| 1938 | 0.168 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.167 | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 0.12 | -28.1% |
| 1991 | 0.112 | -6.7% |
| 1992 | 0.135 | +20.5% |
| 1993 | 0.137 | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 0.137 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.17 | +24.1% |
| 1996 | 0.16 | -5.9% |
| 1997 | 0.16 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.16 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.161 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 0.124 | -23.0% |
| 2001 | 0.124 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.124 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.106 | -14.5% |
| 2004 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.103 | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 0.093 | -9.7% |
| 2009 | 0.093 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.093 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.103 | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 0.105 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 0.085 | -19.0% |
| 2014 | 0.085 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.061 | -28.2% |
| 2016 | 0.069 | +13.1% |
| 2017 | 0.069 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.069 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.062 | -10.1% |
| 2020 | 0.061 | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 0.058 | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
Estonia compared with similar countries
- Estonia's 0.058 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.131, 44% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Estonia's 0.058 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.182, 32% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Clientelism Index in Estonia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | +47.7% | 0.151 | 0.223 |
| 2015 | -28.2% | 0.085 | 0.061 |
| 1990 | -28.1% | 0.167 | 0.12 |
| 1934 | -27.1% | 0.24 | 0.175 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.167 | 0.151 | 0.183 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.2301 | 0.215 | 0.249 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.2009 | 0.167 | 0.249 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1452 | 0.112 | 0.17 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1085 | 0.093 | 0.124 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0801 | 0.061 | 0.105 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0585 | 0.058 | 0.061 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
More reference data data for Estonia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0827 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0328 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2652 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0363 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2652 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2774 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.193 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1743 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1975 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is clientelism index in Estonia?
- Clientelism index in Estonia was 0.058 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.249 in 1929.
- What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.058 in 2021.
- How does Estonia rank for clientelism index?
- Estonia ranks 168th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is clientelism index rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Estonia 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 — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.