Judicial Corruption Score in Ghana
Ghana: Judicial Corruption Score was -1.43 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
-1.43
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
149th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.564
in 1902
All-time low
-1.43
in 2022
Years of data
124
1902–2025
Judicial Corruption Score in Ghana, 1902–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ghana recorded -1.43 for judicial corruption score in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 124 years on record.
The figure is down 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, judicial corruption score in Ghana peaked at 0.564 in 1902 and was at its lowest, -1.43, in 2022.
That places Ghana 149th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Judicial Corruption Score in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1902 | 0.564 | — |
| 1903 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | -0.33 | -158.5% |
| 1951 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -0.33 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -0.668 | +102.4% |
| 1968 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -0.668 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -1.08 | +61.7% |
| 1983 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -1.08 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -0.7 | -35.2% |
| 1995 | -0.7 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -0.7 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -0.7 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -0.7 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -0.7 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -0.7 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -0.7 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -1.22 | +73.6% |
| 2003 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -1.22 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -1.3 | +6.9% |
| 2019 | -1.3 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | -1.42 | +9.0% |
| 2021 | -0.788 | -44.4% |
| 2022 | -1.43 | +81.5% |
| 2023 | -1.43 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -1.43 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | -1.43 | -0.0% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's -1.43 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is -1.01, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's -1.43 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.632, 2.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.564 | 0.564 | 0.564 | 8 |
| 1910s | 0.564 | 0.564 | 0.564 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.564 | 0.564 | 0.564 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.564 | 0.564 | 0.564 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.564 | 0.564 | 0.564 | 10 |
| 1950s | -0.33 | -0.33 | -0.33 | 10 |
| 1960s | -0.4314 | -0.668 | -0.33 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.668 | -0.668 | -0.668 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.9976 | -1.08 | -0.668 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.852 | -1.08 | -0.7 | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.11 | -1.22 | -0.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.23 | -1.3 | -1.22 | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.32 | -1.43 | -0.788 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
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 judicial corruption score in Ghana?
- Judicial corruption score in Ghana was -1.43 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest judicial corruption score recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 0.564 in 1902.
- What is the lowest judicial corruption score recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.43 in 2022.
- How does Ghana rank for judicial corruption score?
- Ghana ranks 149th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is judicial corruption score rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Judicial Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 124 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of how often individuals or businesses make undocumented extra payments or bribes to obtain a favorable judicial decision, or speed up or delay the process. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.