Strong Civil Society Index in Switzerland

Switzerland: Strong Civil Society Index was 0.956 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.956
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
8th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.956
in 1980
All-time low
0.665
in 1798
Years of data
228
1798–2025

Strong Civil Society Index in Switzerland, 1798–2025

00.20.40.60.81179819112025

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

Analysis

Switzerland recorded 0.956 for strong civil society index in 2025. That is the highest value across all 228 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, strong civil society index in Switzerland peaked at 0.956 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.665, in 1798.

That places Switzerland 8th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 228 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1790s 0.665 0.665 0.665 2
1800s 0.665 0.665 0.665 10
1810s 0.665 0.665 0.665 10
1820s 0.665 0.665 0.665 10
1830s 0.758 0.758 0.758 10
1840s 0.7741 0.758 0.919 10
1850s 0.919 0.919 0.919 10
1860s 0.919 0.919 0.919 10
1870s 0.919 0.919 0.919 10
1880s 0.919 0.919 0.919 10
1890s 0.919 0.919 0.919 10
1900s 0.919 0.919 0.919 10
1910s 0.919 0.919 0.919 10
1920s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1930s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1940s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1950s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1960s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1970s 0.93 0.93 0.93 10
1980s 0.956 0.956 0.956 10
1990s 0.956 0.956 0.956 10
2000s 0.956 0.956 0.956 10
2010s 0.956 0.956 0.956 10
2020s 0.956 0.956 0.956 6

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 5 Luxembourg 0.963 compare
  2. 5 Sweden 0.963 compare
  3. 7 Estonia 0.962 compare
  4. 9 Costa Rica 0.954 compare
  5. 10 Japan 0.95 compare
  6. 11 Ireland 0.947 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is strong civil society index in Switzerland?
Strong civil society index in Switzerland was 0.956 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest strong civil society index recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 0.956 in 1980.
What is the lowest strong civil society index recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.665 in 1798.
How does Switzerland rank for strong civil society index?
Switzerland ranks 8th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is strong civil society index rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland 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 — 228 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).