Statizoid

Clientelism Index in Italy

Italy: Clientelism Index was 0.218 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.218
Change on year
up 16.6%
World rank
138th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.762
in 1861
All-time low
0.144
in 2022
Years of data
165
1861–2025

Clientelism Index in Italy, 1861–2025

0.20.40.60.8186119432025

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

Analysis

In 2025, clientelism index in Italy stood at 0.218.

The figure is up 16.6% on the previous year and up 19.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, clientelism index in Italy peaked at 0.762 in 1861 and was at its lowest, 0.144, in 2022.

Italy ranks 138th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 165 years of available data.

Clientelism Index in Italy, year by year

Year Value Change
1861 0.762 —
1862 0.538 -29.4%
1863 0.538 +0.0%
1864 0.538 +0.0%
1865 0.538 +0.0%
1866 0.536 -0.4%
1867 0.531 -0.9%
1868 0.53 -0.2%
1869 0.53 +0.0%
1870 0.585 +10.4%
1871 0.645 +10.3%
1872 0.645 +0.0%
1873 0.645 +0.0%
1874 0.646 +0.2%
1875 0.65 +0.6%
1876 0.648 -0.3%
1877 0.638 -1.5%
1878 0.638 +0.0%
1879 0.638 +0.0%
1880 0.654 +2.5%
1881 0.664 +1.5%
1882 0.659 -0.8%
1883 0.643 -2.4%
1884 0.643 +0.0%
1885 0.643 +0.0%
1886 0.646 +0.5%
1887 0.648 +0.3%
1888 0.648 +0.0%
1889 0.648 +0.0%
1890 0.646 -0.3%
1891 0.629 -2.6%
1892 0.632 +0.5%
1893 0.651 +3.0%
1894 0.651 +0.0%
1895 0.625 -4.0%
1896 0.623 -0.3%
1897 0.64 +2.7%
1898 0.644 +0.6%
1899 0.644 +0.0%
1900 0.576 -10.6%
1901 0.565 -1.9%
1902 0.565 +0.0%
1903 0.565 +0.0%
1904 0.562 -0.5%
1905 0.546 -2.8%
1906 0.546 +0.0%
1907 0.546 +0.0%
1908 0.546 +0.0%
1909 0.556 +1.8%
1910 0.558 +0.4%
1911 0.558 +0.0%
1912 0.543 -2.7%
1913 0.541 -0.4%
1914 0.554 +2.4%
1915 0.541 -2.3%
1916 0.541 +0.0%
1917 0.541 +0.0%
1918 0.541 +0.0%
1919 0.542 +0.2%
1920 0.517 -4.6%
1921 0.534 +3.3%
1922 0.581 +8.8%
1923 0.741 +27.5%
1924 0.7 -5.5%
1925 0.686 -2.0%
1926 0.687 +0.1%
1927 0.687 +0.0%
1928 0.687 +0.0%
1929 0.69 +0.4%
1930 0.691 +0.1%
1931 0.691 +0.0%
1932 0.691 +0.0%
1933 0.691 +0.0%
1934 0.696 +0.7%
1935 0.697 +0.1%
1936 0.697 +0.0%
1937 0.697 +0.0%
1938 0.697 +0.0%
1939 0.697 +0.0%
1940 0.697 +0.0%
1941 0.697 +0.0%
1942 0.697 +0.0%
1943 0.697 +0.0%
1944 0.51 -26.8%
1945 0.51 +0.0%
1946 0.52 +2.0%
1947 0.374 -28.1%
1948 0.386 +3.2%
1949 0.394 +2.1%
1950 0.394 +0.0%
1951 0.394 +0.0%
1952 0.394 +0.0%
1953 0.34 -13.7%
1954 0.335 -1.5%
1955 0.335 +0.0%
1956 0.335 +0.0%
1957 0.335 +0.0%
1958 0.336 +0.3%
1959 0.336 +0.0%
1960 0.333 -0.9%
1961 0.333 +0.0%
1962 0.333 +0.0%
1963 0.321 -3.6%
1964 0.315 -1.9%
1965 0.315 +0.0%
1966 0.315 +0.0%
1967 0.315 +0.0%
1968 0.329 +4.4%
1969 0.338 +2.7%
1970 0.3 -11.2%
1971 0.3 +0.0%
1972 0.28 -6.7%
1973 0.269 -3.9%
1974 0.269 +0.0%
1975 0.269 +0.0%
1976 0.269 +0.0%
1977 0.268 -0.4%
1978 0.268 +0.0%
1979 0.279 +4.1%
1980 0.286 +2.5%
1981 0.286 +0.0%
1982 0.286 +0.0%
1983 0.281 -1.7%
1984 0.275 -2.1%
1985 0.268 -2.5%
1986 0.268 +0.0%
1987 0.271 +1.1%
1988 0.274 +1.1%
1989 0.274 +0.0%
1990 0.217 -20.8%
1991 0.217 +0.0%
1992 0.215 -0.9%
1993 0.21 -2.3%
1994 0.213 +1.4%
1995 0.211 -0.9%
1996 0.218 +3.3%
1997 0.214 -1.8%
1998 0.214 +0.0%
1999 0.214 +0.0%
2000 0.214 +0.0%
2001 0.214 +0.0%
2002 0.208 -2.8%
2003 0.208 +0.0%
2004 0.208 +0.0%
2005 0.208 +0.0%
2006 0.19 -8.7%
2007 0.184 -3.2%
2008 0.171 -7.1%
2009 0.166 -2.9%
2010 0.166 +0.0%
2011 0.181 +9.0%
2012 0.189 +4.4%
2013 0.184 -2.6%
2014 0.183 -0.5%
2015 0.183 +0.0%
2016 0.183 +0.0%
2017 0.183 +0.0%
2018 0.153 -16.4%
2019 0.166 +8.5%
2020 0.149 -10.2%
2021 0.145 -2.7%
2022 0.144 -0.7%
2023 0.187 +29.9%
2024 0.187 +0.0%
2025 0.218 +16.6%

Italy compared with similar countries

  • Italy's 0.218 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.131, 1.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Italy's 0.218 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.182, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Clientelism Index in Italy 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.

YearChange FromTo
2023 +29.9% 0.144 0.187
1862 -29.4% 0.762 0.538
1947 -28.1% 0.52 0.374
1923 +27.5% 0.581 0.741
1944 -26.8% 0.697 0.51

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1860s 0.5601 0.53 0.762 9
1870s 0.6378 0.585 0.65 10
1880s 0.6496 0.643 0.664 10
1890s 0.6385 0.623 0.651 10
1900s 0.5573 0.546 0.576 10
1910s 0.546 0.541 0.558 10
1920s 0.651 0.517 0.741 10
1930s 0.6945 0.691 0.697 10
1940s 0.5482 0.374 0.697 10
1950s 0.3534 0.335 0.394 10
1960s 0.3247 0.315 0.338 10
1970s 0.2771 0.268 0.3 10
1980s 0.2769 0.268 0.286 10
1990s 0.2143 0.21 0.218 10
2000s 0.1971 0.166 0.214 10
2010s 0.1771 0.153 0.189 10
2020s 0.1717 0.144 0.218 6

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 135 Cyprus 0.232 compare
  2. 136 Singapore 0.23 compare
  3. 137 Malta 0.226 compare
  4. 139 Slovenia 0.204 compare
  5. 140 China 0.195 compare
  6. 141 Seychelles 0.184 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is clientelism index in Italy?
Clientelism index in Italy was 0.218 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 0.762 in 1861.
What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 0.144 in 2022.
How does Italy rank for clientelism index?
Italy ranks 138th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is clientelism index rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Italy 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 — 165 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 Italy. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/clientelism-index/italy/

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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.