Key features of democracy in Ghana
Ghana: Key features of democracy was 0.711 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.711
Change on year
up 6.9%
World rank
51st
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.771
in 2012
All-time low
0.074
in 1902
Years of data
124
1902–2025
Key features of democracy in Ghana, 1902–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for key features of democracy in Ghana is 0.711, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 6.9% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Ghana peaked at 0.771 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.074, in 1902.
Ghana ranks 51st of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Key features of democracy in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1902 | 0.074 | — |
| 1903 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.076 | +2.7% |
| 1927 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.078 | +2.6% |
| 1939 | 0.078 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.078 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.078 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.078 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.078 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.078 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.083 | +6.4% |
| 1946 | 0.095 | +14.5% |
| 1947 | 0.104 | +9.5% |
| 1948 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.107 | +2.9% |
| 1950 | 0.106 | -0.9% |
| 1951 | 0.28 | +164.2% |
| 1952 | 0.289 | +3.2% |
| 1953 | 0.291 | +0.7% |
| 1954 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.287 | -1.4% |
| 1956 | 0.288 | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 0.438 | +52.1% |
| 1958 | 0.397 | -9.4% |
| 1959 | 0.388 | -2.3% |
| 1960 | 0.349 | -10.1% |
| 1961 | 0.314 | -10.0% |
| 1962 | 0.296 | -5.7% |
| 1963 | 0.294 | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 0.288 | -2.0% |
| 1965 | 0.261 | -9.4% |
| 1966 | 0.149 | -42.9% |
| 1967 | 0.141 | -5.4% |
| 1968 | 0.142 | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 0.249 | +75.4% |
| 1970 | 0.382 | +53.4% |
| 1971 | 0.431 | +12.8% |
| 1972 | 0.147 | -65.9% |
| 1973 | 0.112 | -23.8% |
| 1974 | 0.113 | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 0.111 | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.114 | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 0.304 | +166.7% |
| 1980 | 0.539 | +77.3% |
| 1981 | 0.252 | -53.2% |
| 1982 | 0.109 | -56.7% |
| 1983 | 0.1 | -8.3% |
| 1984 | 0.098 | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 0.099 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.1 | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.104 | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 0.105 | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 0.173 | +64.8% |
| 1993 | 0.445 | +157.2% |
| 1994 | 0.479 | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 0.491 | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 0.513 | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 0.597 | +16.4% |
| 1998 | 0.597 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.597 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.664 | +11.2% |
| 2001 | 0.721 | +8.6% |
| 2002 | 0.731 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 0.731 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.734 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 0.73 | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 0.73 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.736 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 0.732 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 0.755 | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 0.761 | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 0.761 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.771 | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 0.75 | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 0.746 | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 0.739 | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 0.725 | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 0.739 | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 0.735 | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 0.718 | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 0.718 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.659 | -8.2% |
| 2022 | 0.663 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 0.657 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 0.665 | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 0.711 | +6.9% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 0.711 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3475, 2.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 0.711 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.317, 2.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Key features of democracy in Ghana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +166.7% | 0.114 | 0.304 |
| 1951 | +164.2% | 0.106 | 0.28 |
| 1993 | +157.2% | 0.173 | 0.445 |
| 1980 | +77.3% | 0.304 | 0.539 |
| 1969 | +75.4% | 0.142 | 0.249 |
| 1972 | -65.9% | 0.431 | 0.147 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.074 | 0.074 | 0.074 | 8 |
| 1910s | 0.074 | 0.074 | 0.074 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.0748 | 0.074 | 0.076 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0764 | 0.076 | 0.078 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0883 | 0.078 | 0.107 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.3055 | 0.106 | 0.438 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2483 | 0.141 | 0.349 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1936 | 0.111 | 0.431 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1596 | 0.098 | 0.539 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4101 | 0.104 | 0.597 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7264 | 0.664 | 0.755 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7445 | 0.718 | 0.771 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6788 | 0.657 | 0.718 | 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 key features of democracy in Ghana?
- Key features of democracy in Ghana was 0.711 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 0.771 in 2012.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.074 in 1902.
- How does Ghana rank for key features of democracy?
- Ghana ranks 51st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. 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 Key features of democracy. 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
Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.