Strong Civil Society Index in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Strong Civil Society Index was 0.855 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.855
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
53rd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.918
in 1950
All-time low
0.309
in 1819
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Strong Civil Society Index in United Kingdom, 1789–2025

0.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 0.855 for strong civil society index in 2025.

The figure is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, strong civil society index in United Kingdom peaked at 0.918 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 0.309, in 1819.

United Kingdom ranks 53rd of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.529 0.529 0.529 1
1790s 0.529 0.529 0.529 10
1800s 0.529 0.529 0.529 10
1810s 0.507 0.309 0.529 10
1820s 0.4764 0.309 0.674 10
1830s 0.6118 0.598 0.736 10
1840s 0.736 0.736 0.736 10
1850s 0.736 0.736 0.736 10
1860s 0.736 0.736 0.736 10
1870s 0.766 0.766 0.766 10
1880s 0.766 0.766 0.766 10
1890s 0.7658 0.765 0.766 10
1900s 0.8324 0.83 0.836 10
1910s 0.8294 0.825 0.836 10
1920s 0.8193 0.806 0.825 10
1930s 0.8041 0.787 0.806 10
1940s 0.8232 0.787 0.882 10
1950s 0.918 0.918 0.918 10
1960s 0.918 0.918 0.918 10
1970s 0.9164 0.914 0.918 10
1980s 0.899 0.899 0.899 10
1990s 0.913 0.913 0.913 10
2000s 0.9066 0.905 0.913 10
2010s 0.907 0.895 0.91 10
2020s 0.8907 0.855 0.908 6

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 50 Senegal 0.861 compare
  2. 51 Botswana 0.859 compare
  3. 52 Lithuania 0.858 compare
  4. 54 Poland 0.851 compare
  5. 55 Cape Verde 0.85 compare
  6. 55 South Korea 0.85 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is strong civil society index in United Kingdom?
Strong civil society index in United Kingdom was 0.855 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest strong civil society index recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 0.918 in 1950.
What is the lowest strong civil society index recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 0.309 in 1819.
How does United Kingdom rank for strong civil society index?
United Kingdom ranks 53rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is strong civil society index rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 237 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).