Academic Freedom Index in Ghana
Ghana: Academic Freedom Index was 0.67 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.67
Change on year
down 14.5%
World rank
80th
of 174 countries
All-time high
0.806
in 2015
All-time low
0.39
in 1982
Years of data
78
1948–2025
Academic Freedom Index in Ghana, 1948–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 0.67 for academic freedom index in 2025.
The figure is down 14.5% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Ghana peaked at 0.806 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.39, in 1982.
That places Ghana 80th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 78 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 0.435 | — |
| 1949 | 0.435 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.447 | +2.8% |
| 1951 | 0.447 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.447 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.447 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.449 | +0.4% |
| 1955 | 0.449 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.449 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.448 | -0.2% |
| 1958 | 0.445 | -0.7% |
| 1959 | 0.445 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.434 | -2.5% |
| 1961 | 0.42 | -3.2% |
| 1962 | 0.42 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.42 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.42 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.404 | -3.8% |
| 1966 | 0.412 | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 0.404 | -1.9% |
| 1968 | 0.414 | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 0.436 | +5.3% |
| 1970 | 0.47 | +7.8% |
| 1971 | 0.47 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.43 | -8.5% |
| 1973 | 0.432 | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 0.432 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.432 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.432 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.432 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.43 | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 0.452 | +5.1% |
| 1980 | 0.479 | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 0.432 | -9.8% |
| 1982 | 0.39 | -9.7% |
| 1983 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.399 | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 0.399 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.398 | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 0.71 | +78.4% |
| 1991 | 0.71 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.708 | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 0.759 | +7.2% |
| 1994 | 0.777 | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 0.782 | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 0.784 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 0.784 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.784 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.784 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.805 | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.781 | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 0.806 | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 0.806 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.806 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.8 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 0.794 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 0.794 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.772 | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 0.79 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 0.786 | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 0.784 | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 0.67 | -14.5% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 0.67 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.515, 1.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 0.67 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.519, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.435 | 0.435 | 0.435 | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.4473 | 0.445 | 0.449 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.4184 | 0.404 | 0.436 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.4412 | 0.43 | 0.47 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4057 | 0.39 | 0.479 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7582 | 0.708 | 0.784 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.805 | 0.805 | 0.805 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8013 | 0.781 | 0.806 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.766 | 0.67 | 0.794 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 77 Madagascar 0.684 compare
- 78 Greece 0.68 compare
- 79 Mongolia 0.671 compare
- 81 United Kingdom 0.668 compare
- 82 North Macedonia 0.664 compare
- 83 Lesotho 0.643 compare
More social development data for Ghana
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 21,050 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 16,030 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0005 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 16,030 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0006 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is academic freedom index in Ghana?
- Academic freedom index in Ghana was 0.67 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 0.806 in 2015.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.39 in 1982.
- How does Ghana rank for academic freedom index?
- Ghana ranks 80th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which academics can research, teach, publish, express opinions, and participate in academic bodies without interference, censorship, or institutional restrictions, and universities exercise institutional autonomy.