Free and Fair Elections Index in Malaysia
Malaysia: Free and Fair Elections Index was 0.598 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Free and Fair Elections Index in Malaysia, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 0.598 for free and fair elections index in 2025. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.
The figure is up 72.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, free and fair elections index in Malaysia peaked at 0.598 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Malaysia 82nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Free and Fair Elections Index in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 0 | — |
| 1947 | 0 | — |
| 1948 | 0 | — |
| 1949 | 0 | — |
| 1950 | 0 | — |
| 1951 | 0 | — |
| 1952 | 0 | — |
| 1953 | 0 | — |
| 1954 | 0 | — |
| 1955 | 0.21 | — |
| 1956 | 0.484 | +130.5% |
| 1957 | 0.484 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.484 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.475 | -1.9% |
| 1960 | 0.46 | -3.2% |
| 1961 | 0.46 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.45 | -2.2% |
| 1963 | 0.45 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.394 | -12.4% |
| 1965 | 0.369 | -6.3% |
| 1966 | 0.369 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.382 | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 0.363 | -5.0% |
| 1969 | 0.134 | -63.1% |
| 1970 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1971 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0.101 | — |
| 1975 | 0.283 | +180.2% |
| 1976 | 0.283 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.283 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.279 | -1.4% |
| 1979 | 0.275 | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 0.278 | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 0.271 | -2.5% |
| 1982 | 0.262 | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 0.258 | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.244 | -5.4% |
| 1987 | 0.224 | -8.2% |
| 1988 | 0.224 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.224 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.221 | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 0.212 | -4.1% |
| 1992 | 0.212 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.212 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.212 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.198 | -6.6% |
| 1996 | 0.192 | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 0.192 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.192 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.194 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 0.214 | +10.3% |
| 2001 | 0.214 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.214 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.214 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.251 | +17.3% |
| 2005 | 0.264 | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 0.264 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.264 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.353 | +33.7% |
| 2009 | 0.373 | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 0.373 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.373 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.373 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.352 | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 0.343 | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 0.346 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 0.346 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.346 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.421 | +21.7% |
| 2019 | 0.479 | +13.8% |
| 2020 | 0.463 | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 0.458 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 0.471 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 0.593 | +25.9% |
| 2024 | 0.598 | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 0.598 | +0.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 0.598 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5655, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 0.598 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5335, 1.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Free and Fair Elections Index in Malaysia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | +180.2% | 0.101 | 0.283 |
| 1956 | +130.5% | 0.21 | 0.484 |
| 1970 | -100.0% | 0.134 | 0 |
| 1969 | -63.1% | 0.363 | 0.134 |
| 2008 | +33.7% | 0.264 | 0.353 |
| 2023 | +25.9% | 0.471 | 0.593 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.2137 | 0 | 0.484 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.3831 | 0.134 | 0.46 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1504 | 0 | 0.283 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2501 | 0.224 | 0.278 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2037 | 0.192 | 0.221 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2625 | 0.214 | 0.373 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3752 | 0.343 | 0.479 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5302 | 0.458 | 0.598 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is free and fair elections index in Malaysia?
- Free and fair elections index in Malaysia was 0.598 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest free and fair elections index recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.598 in 2024.
- What is the lowest free and fair elections index recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Malaysia rank for free and fair elections index?
- Malaysia ranks 82nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is free and fair elections index rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 72.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Free and Fair Elections Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which registration fraud, systematic irregularities, government intimidation of the opposition, vote buying, and election violence are absent, and the election management body is autonomous and has enough staff and resources.