Strong Civil Society Index in Malawi

Malawi: Strong Civil Society Index was 0.704 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.704
Change on year
down 3.3%
World rank
92nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.915
in 2022
All-time low
0.018
in 1966
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Strong Civil Society Index in Malawi, 1900–2025

00.20.40.60.81190019622025

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

Analysis

In 2025, strong civil society index in Malawi stood at 0.704.

The figure is down 3.3% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, strong civil society index in Malawi peaked at 0.915 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.018, in 1966.

That places Malawi 92nd 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.047 0.047 0.047 10
1910s 0.047 0.047 0.047 10
1920s 0.047 0.047 0.047 10
1930s 0.047 0.047 0.047 10
1940s 0.047 0.047 0.047 10
1950s 0.055 0.047 0.127 10
1960s 0.1191 0.018 0.229 10
1970s 0.018 0.018 0.018 10
1980s 0.018 0.018 0.018 10
1990s 0.3885 0.018 0.702 10
2000s 0.7305 0.676 0.776 10
2010s 0.8111 0.74 0.869 10
2020s 0.7887 0.704 0.915 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 89 Gabon 0.721 compare
  2. 90 Iraq 0.716 compare
  3. 91 Bangladesh 0.709 compare
  4. 93 Libya 0.701 compare
  5. 94 Israel 0.696 compare
  6. 95 Indonesia 0.688 compare
  7. 95 Malaysia 0.688 compare
  8. 95 Slovakia 0.688 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is strong civil society index in Malawi?
Strong civil society index in Malawi was 0.704 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest strong civil society index recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 0.915 in 2022.
What is the lowest strong civil society index recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0.018 in 1966.
How does Malawi rank for strong civil society index?
Malawi ranks 92nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is strong civil society index rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Strong Civil Society 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

Indicator
Strong Civil Society Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,138 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which interest groups, labor unions, charities, and other civil society organizations are autonomous from the state and can freely pursue their goals. The index ranges from 0 to 1 (strongest).