Statizoid

Clientelism Index in Ireland

Ireland: Clientelism Index was 0.145 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.145
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
143rd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.398
in 1919
All-time low
0.145
in 2025
Years of data
107
1919–2025

Clientelism Index in Ireland, 1919–2025

00.10.20.30.4191919722025

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

Analysis

In 2025, clientelism index in Ireland stood at 0.145. That is the lowest value across all 107 years on record.

That represents a change of down 4.0% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, clientelism index in Ireland peaked at 0.398 in 1919 and was at its lowest, 0.145, in 2025.

Ireland ranks 143rd of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 107 years of available data.

Clientelism Index in Ireland, year by year

Year Value Change
1919 0.398 —
1920 0.398 +0.0%
1921 0.324 -18.6%
1922 0.278 -14.2%
1923 0.26 -6.5%
1924 0.319 +22.7%
1925 0.319 +0.0%
1926 0.319 +0.0%
1927 0.316 -0.9%
1928 0.309 -2.2%
1929 0.309 +0.0%
1930 0.309 +0.0%
1931 0.309 +0.0%
1932 0.331 +7.1%
1933 0.335 +1.2%
1934 0.335 +0.0%
1935 0.335 +0.0%
1936 0.335 +0.0%
1937 0.325 -3.0%
1938 0.316 -2.8%
1939 0.316 +0.0%
1940 0.316 +0.0%
1941 0.316 +0.0%
1942 0.316 +0.0%
1943 0.323 +2.2%
1944 0.329 +1.9%
1945 0.327 -0.6%
1946 0.368 +12.5%
1947 0.368 +0.0%
1948 0.355 -3.5%
1949 0.354 -0.3%
1950 0.354 +0.0%
1951 0.349 -1.4%
1952 0.346 -0.9%
1953 0.346 +0.0%
1954 0.355 +2.6%
1955 0.362 +2.0%
1956 0.362 +0.0%
1957 0.357 -1.4%
1958 0.356 -0.3%
1959 0.348 -2.2%
1960 0.341 -2.0%
1961 0.284 -16.7%
1962 0.261 -8.1%
1963 0.261 +0.0%
1964 0.261 +0.0%
1965 0.272 +4.2%
1966 0.273 +0.4%
1967 0.27 -1.1%
1968 0.27 +0.0%
1969 0.269 -0.4%
1970 0.268 -0.4%
1971 0.268 +0.0%
1972 0.277 +3.4%
1973 0.274 -1.1%
1974 0.273 -0.4%
1975 0.273 +0.0%
1976 0.273 +0.0%
1977 0.226 -17.2%
1978 0.236 +4.4%
1979 0.236 +0.0%
1980 0.206 -12.7%
1981 0.211 +2.4%
1982 0.216 +2.4%
1983 0.216 +0.0%
1984 0.216 +0.0%
1985 0.216 +0.0%
1986 0.216 +0.0%
1987 0.2 -7.4%
1988 0.2 +0.0%
1989 0.201 +0.5%
1990 0.202 +0.5%
1991 0.189 -6.4%
1992 0.188 -0.5%
1993 0.172 -8.5%
1994 0.172 +0.0%
1995 0.172 +0.0%
1996 0.172 +0.0%
1997 0.185 +7.6%
1998 0.194 +4.9%
1999 0.194 +0.0%
2000 0.194 +0.0%
2001 0.194 +0.0%
2002 0.194 +0.0%
2003 0.194 +0.0%
2004 0.194 +0.0%
2005 0.194 +0.0%
2006 0.194 +0.0%
2007 0.194 +0.0%
2008 0.194 +0.0%
2009 0.194 +0.0%
2010 0.194 +0.0%
2011 0.157 -19.1%
2012 0.155 -1.3%
2013 0.164 +5.8%
2014 0.164 +0.0%
2015 0.164 +0.0%
2016 0.171 +4.3%
2017 0.173 +1.2%
2018 0.148 -14.5%
2019 0.153 +3.4%
2020 0.168 +9.8%
2021 0.18 +7.1%
2022 0.152 -15.6%
2023 0.152 +0.0%
2024 0.151 -0.7%
2025 0.145 -4.0%

Ireland compared with similar countries

  • Ireland's 0.145 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.131, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Ireland's 0.145 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.182, 80% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1910s 0.398 0.398 0.398 1
1920s 0.3151 0.26 0.398 10
1930s 0.3246 0.309 0.335 10
1940s 0.3372 0.316 0.368 10
1950s 0.3535 0.346 0.362 10
1960s 0.2762 0.261 0.341 10
1970s 0.2604 0.226 0.277 10
1980s 0.2098 0.2 0.216 10
1990s 0.184 0.172 0.202 10
2000s 0.194 0.194 0.194 10
2010s 0.1643 0.148 0.194 10
2020s 0.158 0.145 0.18 6

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 140 China 0.195 compare
  2. 141 Seychelles 0.184 compare
  3. 142 Greece 0.16 compare
  4. 144 Poland 0.143 compare
  5. 144 Slovakia 0.143 compare
  6. 146 Japan 0.14 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is clientelism index in Ireland?
Clientelism index in Ireland was 0.145 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 0.398 in 1919.
What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.145 in 2025.
How does Ireland rank for clientelism index?
Ireland ranks 143rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is clientelism index rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland 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.

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CSV · JSON — 107 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Relationships involving this indicator

Comparisons with other indicators across countries. Each was re-measured with population and national income held constant, so a relationship that only reflected country size is not listed here.

All correlations →

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

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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.