Statizoid

Clientelism Index in Poland

Poland: Clientelism Index was 0.143 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.143
Change on year
down 17.3%
World rank
144th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.966
in 1789
All-time low
0.1
in 2011
Years of data
135
1789–2025

Clientelism Index in Poland, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, clientelism index in Poland stood at 0.143.

That represents a change of down 17.3% on the previous year and up 18.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, clientelism index in Poland peaked at 0.966 in 1789 and was at its lowest, 0.1, in 2011.

That places Poland 144th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Clientelism Index in Poland, year by year

Year Value Change
1789 0.966 —
1790 0.966 +0.0%
1791 0.966 +0.0%
1792 0.966 +0.0%
1793 0.966 +0.0%
1794 0.755 -21.8%
1795 0.963 +27.5%
1807 0.56 -41.8%
1808 0.56 +0.0%
1809 0.56 +0.0%
1810 0.56 +0.0%
1811 0.56 +0.0%
1812 0.56 +0.0%
1813 0.56 +0.0%
1814 0.56 +0.0%
1815 0.444 -20.7%
1816 0.444 +0.0%
1817 0.444 +0.0%
1818 0.444 +0.0%
1819 0.444 +0.0%
1820 0.444 +0.0%
1821 0.444 +0.0%
1822 0.444 +0.0%
1823 0.444 +0.0%
1824 0.444 +0.0%
1825 0.444 +0.0%
1826 0.444 +0.0%
1827 0.444 +0.0%
1828 0.444 +0.0%
1829 0.444 +0.0%
1830 0.444 +0.0%
1831 0.444 +0.0%
1918 0.241 -45.7%
1919 0.169 -29.9%
1920 0.201 +18.9%
1921 0.201 +0.0%
1922 0.201 +0.0%
1923 0.203 +1.0%
1924 0.203 +0.0%
1925 0.203 +0.0%
1926 0.203 +0.0%
1927 0.189 -6.9%
1928 0.287 +51.9%
1929 0.307 +7.0%
1930 0.362 +17.9%
1931 0.39 +7.7%
1932 0.39 +0.0%
1933 0.39 +0.0%
1934 0.39 +0.0%
1935 0.363 -6.9%
1936 0.306 -15.7%
1937 0.306 +0.0%
1938 0.304 -0.7%
1944 0.629 +106.9%
1945 0.629 +0.0%
1946 0.629 +0.0%
1947 0.536 -14.8%
1948 0.533 -0.6%
1949 0.533 +0.0%
1950 0.54 +1.3%
1951 0.54 +0.0%
1952 0.526 -2.6%
1953 0.462 -12.2%
1954 0.462 +0.0%
1955 0.462 +0.0%
1956 0.462 +0.0%
1957 0.441 -4.5%
1958 0.44 -0.2%
1959 0.44 +0.0%
1960 0.44 +0.0%
1961 0.471 +7.0%
1962 0.484 +2.8%
1963 0.484 +0.0%
1964 0.484 +0.0%
1965 0.482 -0.4%
1966 0.481 -0.2%
1967 0.481 +0.0%
1968 0.481 +0.0%
1969 0.483 +0.4%
1970 0.484 +0.2%
1971 0.484 +0.0%
1972 0.48 -0.8%
1973 0.478 -0.4%
1974 0.478 +0.0%
1975 0.478 +0.0%
1976 0.47 -1.7%
1977 0.468 -0.4%
1978 0.468 +0.0%
1979 0.468 +0.0%
1980 0.475 +1.5%
1981 0.477 +0.4%
1982 0.477 +0.0%
1983 0.477 +0.0%
1984 0.477 +0.0%
1985 0.479 +0.4%
1986 0.484 +1.0%
1987 0.484 +0.0%
1988 0.484 +0.0%
1989 0.323 -33.3%
1990 0.255 -21.1%
1991 0.22 -13.7%
1992 0.188 -14.5%
1993 0.186 -1.1%
1994 0.181 -2.7%
1995 0.18 -0.6%
1996 0.172 -4.4%
1997 0.172 +0.0%
1998 0.173 +0.6%
1999 0.173 +0.0%
2000 0.16 -7.5%
2001 0.16 +0.0%
2002 0.152 -5.0%
2003 0.152 +0.0%
2004 0.152 +0.0%
2005 0.147 -3.3%
2006 0.132 -10.2%
2007 0.12 -9.1%
2008 0.113 -5.8%
2009 0.113 +0.0%
2010 0.103 -8.8%
2011 0.1 -2.9%
2012 0.112 +12.0%
2013 0.111 -0.9%
2014 0.111 +0.0%
2015 0.121 +9.0%
2016 0.14 +15.7%
2017 0.14 +0.0%
2018 0.132 -5.7%
2019 0.134 +1.5%
2020 0.226 +68.7%
2021 0.238 +5.3%
2022 0.233 -2.1%
2023 0.262 +12.4%
2024 0.173 -34.0%
2025 0.143 -17.3%

Poland compared with similar countries

  • Poland's 0.143 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.131, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Poland's 0.143 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.182, 79% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Clientelism Index in Poland 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
1944 +106.9% 0.304 0.629
2020 +68.7% 0.134 0.226
1928 +51.9% 0.189 0.287
1918 -45.7% 0.444 0.241
1807 -41.8% 0.963 0.56
2024 -34.0% 0.262 0.173

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.966 0.966 0.966 1
1790s 0.9303 0.755 0.966 6
1800s 0.56 0.56 0.56 3
1810s 0.502 0.444 0.56 10
1820s 0.444 0.444 0.444 10
1830s 0.444 0.444 0.444 2
1910s 0.205 0.169 0.241 2
1920s 0.2198 0.189 0.307 10
1930s 0.3557 0.304 0.39 9
1940s 0.5815 0.533 0.629 6
1950s 0.4775 0.44 0.54 10
1960s 0.4771 0.44 0.484 10
1970s 0.4756 0.468 0.484 10
1980s 0.4637 0.323 0.484 10
1990s 0.19 0.172 0.255 10
2000s 0.1401 0.113 0.16 10
2010s 0.1204 0.1 0.14 10
2020s 0.2125 0.143 0.262 6

Countries ranked near Poland

  1. 141 Seychelles 0.184 compare
  2. 142 Greece 0.16 compare
  3. 143 Ireland 0.145 compare
  4. 144 Slovakia 0.143 compare
  5. 146 Japan 0.14 compare
  6. 147 Latvia 0.131 compare
  7. 147 Lithuania 0.131 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Poland

All data for Poland →

Frequently asked questions

What is clientelism index in Poland?
Clientelism index in Poland was 0.143 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Poland?
The highest recorded value was 0.966 in 1789.
What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Poland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1 in 2011.
How does Poland rank for clientelism index?
Poland ranks 144th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is clientelism index rising or falling in Poland?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Poland 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 — 135 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 Poland. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/clientelism-index/poland/

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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.