Freedom Score in Benin
Benin: Freedom Score was 61 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom Score in Benin, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom score in Benin stood at 61.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Benin peaked at 83 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 59, in 2021.
That places Benin 101st out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Freedom Score in Benin, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 75 | — |
| 2003 | 79 | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 79 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 78 | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 82 | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 82 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 80 | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 80 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 83 | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 81 | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 82 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 80 | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 81 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 82 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 82 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 82 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 79 | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 66 | -16.5% |
| 2020 | 65 | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 59 | -9.2% |
| 2022 | 59 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 61 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 60 | -1.6% |
| 2025 | 61 | +1.7% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 61 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 41, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Benin's 61 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 35, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 79.38 | 75 | 82 | 8 |
| 2010s | 79.8 | 66 | 83 | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.83 | 59 | 65 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More social development data for Benin
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 16,974 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,279 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,279 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0011 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 freedom score in Benin?
- Freedom score in Benin was 61 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 83 in 2010.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 59 in 2021.
- How does Benin rank for freedom score?
- Benin ranks 101st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Freedom House's total democracy score is a 0-to-100 aggregate that adds up a country's points on 25 indicators of political rights (max 40) and civil liberties (max 60), creating a single snapshot of the freedoms people actually enjoy.