Clientelism Index in Nepal
Nepal: Clientelism Index was 0.45 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.45
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
98th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.974
in 1947
All-time low
0.252
in 2007
Years of data
79
1947–2025
Clientelism Index in Nepal, 1947–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for clientelism index in Nepal is 0.45, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, clientelism index in Nepal peaked at 0.974 in 1947 and was at its lowest, 0.252, in 2007.
That places Nepal 98th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 79 years of available data.
Clientelism Index in Nepal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 0.974 | — |
| 1948 | 0.974 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.974 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.76 | -22.0% |
| 1951 | 0.663 | -12.8% |
| 1952 | 0.663 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.641 | -3.3% |
| 1954 | 0.641 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.641 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.641 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.641 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.641 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.638 | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 0.659 | +3.3% |
| 1961 | 0.85 | +29.0% |
| 1962 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.848 | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 0.89 | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 0.911 | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 0.911 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.911 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.911 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.906 | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 0.904 | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 0.904 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.904 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.762 | -15.7% |
| 1991 | 0.571 | -25.1% |
| 1992 | 0.499 | -12.6% |
| 1993 | 0.469 | -6.0% |
| 1994 | 0.498 | +6.2% |
| 1995 | 0.516 | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 0.516 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.516 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.516 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.514 | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 0.531 | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 0.528 | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.515 | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 0.515 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.515 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.515 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.312 | -39.4% |
| 2007 | 0.252 | -19.2% |
| 2008 | 0.29 | +15.1% |
| 2009 | 0.319 | +10.0% |
| 2010 | 0.364 | +14.1% |
| 2011 | 0.364 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.364 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.342 | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 0.391 | +14.3% |
| 2015 | 0.387 | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 0.387 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.34 | -12.1% |
| 2018 | 0.305 | -10.3% |
| 2019 | 0.333 | +9.2% |
| 2020 | 0.395 | +18.6% |
| 2021 | 0.419 | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 0.421 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.44 | +4.5% |
| 2024 | 0.453 | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 0.45 | -0.7% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 0.45 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.6325, 71% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 0.45 is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.388, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.974 | 0.974 | 0.974 | 3 |
| 1950s | 0.657 | 0.638 | 0.76 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.8309 | 0.659 | 0.85 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.85 | 0.85 | 0.85 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9 | 0.848 | 0.911 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5377 | 0.469 | 0.762 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4292 | 0.252 | 0.531 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3577 | 0.305 | 0.391 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4297 | 0.395 | 0.453 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More reference data data for Nepal
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7753 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7853 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7974 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.28 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is clientelism index in Nepal?
- Clientelism index in Nepal was 0.45 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 0.974 in 1947.
- What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.252 in 2007.
- How does Nepal rank for clientelism index?
- Nepal ranks 98th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is clientelism index rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal 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 — 79 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.