Democracy in India
India: Democracy was 6 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Democracy in India, 1789–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy in India is 6, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in India peaked at 7 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
India ranks 78th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1930s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.3 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 1950s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1960s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.7 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 1980s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1990s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.8 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
- 78 Albania 6 compare
- 78 Armenia 6 compare
- 78 Bhutan 6 compare
- 78 Bolivia 6 compare
- 78 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 compare
- 78 Botswana 6 compare
- 78 Colombia 6 compare
- 78 East Timor 6 compare
- 78 Ecuador 6 compare
- 78 Gambia 6 compare
- 78 Guatemala 6 compare
- 78 Honduras 6 compare
- 78 Hungary 6 compare
- 78 Indonesia 6 compare
- 78 Iraq 6 compare
- 78 Israel 6 compare
- 78 Kenya 6 compare
- 78 Lebanon 6 compare
- 78 Lesotho 6 compare
- 78 Liberia 6 compare
- 78 Malawi 6 compare
- 78 Malaysia 6 compare
- 78 Maldives 6 compare
- 78 Mexico 6 compare
- 78 Moldova 6 compare
- 78 Montenegro 6 compare
- 78 Nepal 6 compare
- 78 North Macedonia 6 compare
- 78 Paraguay 6 compare
- 78 Peru 6 compare
- 78 Philippines 6 compare
- 78 Senegal 6 compare
- 78 Slovakia 6 compare
- 78 Solomon Islands 6 compare
- 78 Sri Lanka 6 compare
- 78 Ukraine 6 compare
- 78 Zambia 6 compare
More reference data data for India
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.8635 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.6189 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0088 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.3046 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.2053 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 233.06 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy in India?
- Democracy in India was 6 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1950.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does India rank for democracy?
- India ranks 78th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies (score 0), one-party autocracies (score 1), multi-party autocracies without elected executive (score 2), multi-party autocracies (score 3), exclusive democracies (score 4), male democracies (score 5), electoral democracies (score 6), and full democracies (score 7).