What is freedom of expression index in Ghana?

Freedom of expression index in Ghana was 0.896 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Ghana?

The highest recorded value was 0.929 in 2012.

What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Ghana?

The lowest recorded value was 0.201 in 1984.

How does Ghana rank for freedom of expression index?

Ghana ranks 31st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Ghana?

Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. 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 Freedom of Expression Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Freedom of Expression Index in Ghana

Name: Freedom of Expression Index in Ghana
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Ghana: Freedom of Expression Index was 0.896 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.896

Change on year

up 4.6%

World rank

31st

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.929

in 2012

All-time low

0.201

in 1984

Years of data

124

1902–2025

Freedom of Expression Index in Ghana, 1902–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, freedom of expression index in Ghana stood at 0.896.

The figure is up 4.6% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Ghana peaked at 0.929 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.201, in 1984.

Ghana ranks 31st of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 124 years of available data.

Freedom of Expression Index in Ghana, year by year

Annual values for Freedom of Expression Index in Ghana, 1902 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1902	0.418	—
1903	0.418	+0.0%
1904	0.418	+0.0%
1905	0.418	+0.0%
1906	0.418	+0.0%
1907	0.418	+0.0%
1908	0.418	+0.0%
1909	0.418	+0.0%
1910	0.418	+0.0%
1911	0.418	+0.0%
1912	0.418	+0.0%
1913	0.418	+0.0%
1914	0.418	+0.0%
1915	0.418	+0.0%
1916	0.418	+0.0%
1917	0.418	+0.0%
1918	0.418	+0.0%
1919	0.418	+0.0%
1920	0.418	+0.0%
1921	0.418	+0.0%
1922	0.418	+0.0%
1923	0.418	+0.0%
1924	0.418	+0.0%
1925	0.418	+0.0%
1926	0.418	+0.0%
1927	0.418	+0.0%
1928	0.418	+0.0%
1929	0.418	+0.0%
1930	0.418	+0.0%
1931	0.418	+0.0%
1932	0.418	+0.0%
1933	0.418	+0.0%
1934	0.418	+0.0%
1935	0.418	+0.0%
1936	0.418	+0.0%
1937	0.418	+0.0%
1938	0.43	+2.9%
1939	0.43	+0.0%
1940	0.43	+0.0%
1941	0.43	+0.0%
1942	0.43	+0.0%
1943	0.43	+0.0%
1944	0.43	+0.0%
1945	0.448	+4.2%
1946	0.451	+0.7%
1947	0.451	+0.0%
1948	0.451	+0.0%
1949	0.451	+0.0%
1950	0.449	-0.4%
1951	0.518	+15.4%
1952	0.518	+0.0%
1953	0.518	+0.0%
1954	0.535	+3.3%
1955	0.535	+0.0%
1956	0.535	+0.0%
1957	0.537	+0.4%
1958	0.449	-16.4%
1959	0.426	-5.1%
1960	0.411	-3.5%
1961	0.383	-6.8%
1962	0.35	-8.6%
1963	0.35	+0.0%
1964	0.35	+0.0%
1965	0.333	-4.9%
1966	0.327	-1.8%
1967	0.394	+20.5%
1968	0.398	+1.0%
1969	0.553	+38.9%
1970	0.596	+7.8%
1971	0.593	-0.5%
1972	0.4	-32.5%
1973	0.275	-31.2%
1974	0.288	+4.7%
1975	0.277	-3.8%
1976	0.277	+0.0%
1977	0.277	+0.0%
1978	0.277	+0.0%
1979	0.552	+99.3%
1980	0.688	+24.6%
1981	0.651	-5.4%
1982	0.283	-56.5%
1983	0.218	-23.0%
1984	0.201	-7.8%
1985	0.205	+2.0%
1986	0.205	+0.0%
1987	0.214	+4.4%
1988	0.213	-0.5%
1989	0.214	+0.5%
1990	0.241	+12.6%
1991	0.241	+0.0%
1992	0.297	+23.2%
1993	0.686	+131.0%
1994	0.745	+8.6%
1995	0.795	+6.7%
1996	0.81	+1.9%
1997	0.821	+1.4%
1998	0.821	+0.0%
1999	0.823	+0.2%
2000	0.888	+7.9%
2001	0.888	+0.0%
2002	0.906	+2.0%
2003	0.906	+0.0%
2004	0.906	+0.0%
2005	0.906	+0.0%
2006	0.906	+0.0%
2007	0.906	+0.0%
2008	0.904	-0.2%
2009	0.909	+0.6%
2010	0.923	+1.5%
2011	0.923	+0.0%
2012	0.929	+0.7%
2013	0.918	-1.2%
2014	0.902	-1.7%
2015	0.903	+0.1%
2016	0.895	-0.9%
2017	0.897	+0.2%
2018	0.892	-0.6%
2019	0.872	-2.2%
2020	0.884	+1.4%
2021	0.859	-2.8%
2022	0.89	+3.6%
2023	0.857	-3.7%
2024	0.857	+0.0%
2025	0.896	+4.6%

Ghana compared with similar countries

Ghana's 0.896 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.579, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Ghana's 0.896 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.616, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.418	0.418	0.418	8
1910s	0.418	0.418	0.418	10
1920s	0.418	0.418	0.418	10
1930s	0.4204	0.418	0.43	10
1940s	0.4402	0.43	0.451	10
1950s	0.502	0.426	0.537	10
1960s	0.3849	0.327	0.553	10
1970s	0.3812	0.275	0.596	10
1980s	0.3092	0.201	0.688	10
1990s	0.628	0.241	0.823	10
2000s	0.9025	0.888	0.909	10
2010s	0.9054	0.872	0.929	10
2020s	0.8738	0.857	0.896	6

Countries ranked near Ghana

See the full ranking of 176 places →

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)

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is freedom of expression index in Ghana?: Freedom of expression index in Ghana was 0.896 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Ghana?: The highest recorded value was 0.929 in 2012.
What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Ghana?: The lowest recorded value was 0.201 in 1984.
How does Ghana rank for freedom of expression index?: Ghana ranks 31st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Ghana?: Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. 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 Freedom of Expression Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Freedom of Expression Index in Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/freedom-of-expression-index/ghana/

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About this data

Indicator: Freedom of Expression Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,035 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which people can discuss political matters at home and in the public sphere, the press, and media are free and can present different political perspectives, and the freedom of academic and cultural expression.