Clientelism Index in Syria
Syria: Clientelism Index was 0.59 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Clientelism Index in Syria, 1918–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for clientelism index in Syria is 0.59, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 106 years on record.
That represents a change of down 31.2% on the previous year and down 30.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, clientelism index in Syria peaked at 0.879 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.59, in 2025.
That places Syria 67th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 106 years of available data.
Clientelism Index in Syria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 0.77 | — |
| 1919 | 0.77 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.751 | -2.5% |
| 1923 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.751 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.782 | +4.1% |
| 1940 | 0.782 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.782 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.782 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.782 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.782 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.767 | -1.9% |
| 1946 | 0.71 | -7.4% |
| 1947 | 0.687 | -3.2% |
| 1948 | 0.653 | -4.9% |
| 1949 | 0.657 | +0.6% |
| 1950 | 0.657 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.677 | +3.0% |
| 1952 | 0.677 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.669 | -1.2% |
| 1954 | 0.678 | +1.3% |
| 1955 | 0.661 | -2.5% |
| 1956 | 0.661 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.661 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.669 | +1.2% |
| 1959 | 0.669 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.669 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.797 | +19.1% |
| 1962 | 0.705 | -11.5% |
| 1963 | 0.685 | -2.8% |
| 1964 | 0.7 | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 0.7 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.657 | -6.1% |
| 1967 | 0.735 | +11.9% |
| 1968 | 0.735 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.735 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.706 | -3.9% |
| 1971 | 0.711 | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 0.712 | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 0.711 | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 0.711 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.711 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.711 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.712 | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 0.713 | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 0.713 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.713 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.716 | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 0.729 | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.704 | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 0.701 | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 0.701 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.701 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.701 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.712 | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 0.719 | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 0.726 | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 0.726 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.73 | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 0.735 | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 0.735 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.735 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.735 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.726 | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 0.783 | +7.9% |
| 2001 | 0.778 | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.783 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 0.785 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 0.785 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.785 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.832 | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 0.853 | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 0.853 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.85 | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 0.878 | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 0.861 | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 0.879 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 0.86 | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 0.847 | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 0.861 | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 0.85 | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.811 | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 0.836 | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 0.837 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 0.844 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 0.845 | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 0.857 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 0.59 | -31.2% |
Syria compared with similar countries
- Syria's 0.59 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.692, 85% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Syria's 0.59 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.572, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Clientelism Index in Syria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | -31.2% | 0.857 | 0.59 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.77 | 0.77 | 0.77 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.751 | 0.751 | 0.751 | 8 |
| 1930s | 0.7541 | 0.751 | 0.782 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.7384 | 0.653 | 0.782 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.6679 | 0.657 | 0.678 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.7118 | 0.657 | 0.797 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7111 | 0.706 | 0.713 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7124 | 0.701 | 0.729 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7279 | 0.712 | 0.735 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8015 | 0.778 | 0.853 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8547 | 0.811 | 0.879 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8015 | 0.59 | 0.857 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Syria
- 66 Burkina Faso 0.591 compare
- 68 Thailand 0.578 compare
- 69 Ethiopia 0.574 compare
- 70 Sao Tome and Principe 0.573 compare
More reference data data for Syria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1191 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3995 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1542 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 16.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 29.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.93 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is clientelism index in Syria?
- Clientelism index in Syria was 0.59 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Syria?
- The highest recorded value was 0.879 in 2013.
- What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Syria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.59 in 2025.
- How does Syria rank for clientelism index?
- Syria ranks 67th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is clientelism index rising or falling in Syria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Syria 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 — 106 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.