Individualism is the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. On the individualist side we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him/herself and his/her immediate family. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) which continue protecting them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.
For example, Germany can be considered as individualistic with a relatively high score (67) on the scale of Hofstede compared to a country like Guatemala where they have strong collectivism (6 on the scale).
In Germany people stress on personal achievements and individual rights. Germans expect from each other to fulfil their own needs. Group work is important, but everybody has the right of his own opinion an is expected to reflect those. In an individual country like Germany people tend to have more loose relationships than countries where there is a collectivism where people have large extended families.
The United States can clearly been seen as individualistic (scoring a 91). The “American dream” is clearly a representation of this. This is the Americans’ hope for a better quality of life and a higher standard of living than their parents’. This belief is that anyone, regardless of their status can ‘pull up their boot straps’ and raise themselves from poverty.
Power Distance Index | Individualism | Masculinity | Uncertainty Avoidance Index | Long-Term Orientation
| Individuality | ||||||
| 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100 | 101-120 | |
| Country | PDI | IDV | MAS | UAI | LTO |
|
|
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| United States | 40 | 91 | 62 | 46 | 29 |
| Australia | 36 | 90 | 61 | 51 | 31 |
| United Kingdom | 35 | 89 | 66 | 35 | 25 |
| Netherlands | 38 | 80 | 14 | 53 | 44 |
| New Zealand | 22 | 79 | 58 | 49 | 30 |
| Italy | 50 | 76 | 70 | 75 | |
| Belgium | 65 | 75 | 54 | 94 | |
| Denmark | 18 | 74 | 16 | 23 | |
| France | 68 | 71 | 43 | 86 | |
| Sweden | 31 | 71 | 5 | 29 | 33 |
| Ireland | 28 | 70 | 68 | 35 | |
| Norway | 31 | 69 | 8 | 50 | 20 |
| Switzerland | 34 | 68 | 70 | 58 | |
| Germany | 35 | 67 | 66 | 65 | 31 |
| South Africa | 49 | 65 | 63 | 49 | |
| Finland | 33 | 63 | 26 | 59 | |
| Poland | 68 | 60 | 64 | 93 | |
| Czech Republic | 57 | 58 | 57 | 74 | |
| Austria | 11 | 55 | 79 | 70 | |
| Hungary | 46 | 55 | 88 | 82 | |
| Israel | 13 | 54 | 47 | 81 | |
| Spain | 57 | 51 | 42 | 86 | |
| India | 77 | 48 | 56 | 40 | 61 |
| Argentina | 49 | 46 | 56 | 86 | |
| Japan | 54 | 46 | 95 | 92 | 80 |
| Iran | 58 | 41 | 43 | 59 | |
| Jamaica | 45 | 39 | 68 | 13 | |
| Brazil | 69 | 38 | 49 | 76 | 65 |
| Egypt | 80 | 38 | 52 | 68 | |
| Iraq | 80 | 38 | 52 | 68 | |
| Kuwait | 80 | 38 | 52 | 68 | |
| Lebanon | 80 | 38 | 52 | 68 | |
| Libya | 80 | 38 | 52 | 68 | |
| Saudi Arabia | 80 | 38 | 52 | 68 | |
| United Arab Emirates | 80 | 38 | 52 | 68 | |
| Turkey | 66 | 37 | 45 | 85 | |
| Uruguay | 61 | 36 | 38 | 100 | |
| Greece | 60 | 35 | 57 | 112 | |
| Philippines | 94 | 32 | 64 | 44 | 19 |
| Mexico | 81 | 30 | 69 | 82 | |
| Ethiopia | 64 | 27 | 41 | 52 | 25 |
| Kenya | 64 | 27 | 41 | 52 | 25 |
| Portugal | 63 | 27 | 31 | 104 | |
| Tanzania | 64 | 27 | 41 | 52 | 25 |
| Zambia | 64 | 27 | 41 | 52 | 25 |
| Malaysia | 104 | 26 | 50 | 36 | |
| Hong Kong | 68 | 25 | 57 | 29 | 96 |
| Chile | 63 | 23 | 28 | 86 | |
| China | 80 | 20 | 66 | 40 | 118 |
| Ghana | 77 | 20 | 46 | 54 | 16 |
| Nigeria | 77 | 20 | 46 | 54 | 16 |
| Sierra Leone | 77 | 20 | 46 | 54 | 16 |
| Singapore | 74 | 20 | 48 | 8 | 48 |
| Thailand | 64 | 20 | 34 | 64 | 56 |
| El Salvador | 66 | 19 | 40 | 94 | |
| South Korea | 60 | 18 | 39 | 85 | 75 |
| Taiwan | 58 | 17 | 45 | 69 | 87 |
| Peru | 64 | 16 | 42 | 87 | |
| Costa Rica | 35 | 15 | 21 | 86 | |
| Indonesia | 78 | 14 | 46 | 48 | |
| Pakistan | 55 | 14 | 50 | 70 | |
| Colombia | 67 | 13 | 64 | 80 | |
| Venezuela | 81 | 12 | 73 | 76 | |
| Panama | 95 | 11 | 44 | 86 | |
| Ecuador | 78 | 8 | 63 | 67 | |
| Guatemala | 95 | 6 | 37 | 101 | |