Liberal Democracy Index in Ghana
Ghana: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.606 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.606
Change on year
up 8.2%
World rank
45th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.663
in 2010
All-time low
0.076
in 1982
Years of data
124
1902–2025
Liberal Democracy Index in Ghana, 1902–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for liberal democracy index in Ghana is 0.606, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 8.2% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in Ghana peaked at 0.663 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.076, in 1982.
Ghana ranks 45th 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.
Liberal Democracy Index in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1902 | 0.102 | — |
| 1903 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.101 | -1.0% |
| 1911 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.103 | +2.0% |
| 1923 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.101 | -1.9% |
| 1931 | 0.102 | +1.0% |
| 1932 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.103 | +1.0% |
| 1938 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.102 | -1.0% |
| 1940 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.103 | +1.0% |
| 1946 | 0.105 | +1.9% |
| 1947 | 0.107 | +1.9% |
| 1948 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.108 | +0.9% |
| 1950 | 0.113 | +4.6% |
| 1951 | 0.202 | +78.8% |
| 1952 | 0.206 | +2.0% |
| 1953 | 0.206 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.214 | +3.9% |
| 1955 | 0.213 | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.311 | +46.0% |
| 1958 | 0.293 | -5.8% |
| 1959 | 0.288 | -1.7% |
| 1960 | 0.269 | -6.6% |
| 1961 | 0.249 | -7.4% |
| 1962 | 0.227 | -8.8% |
| 1963 | 0.225 | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 0.217 | -3.6% |
| 1965 | 0.205 | -5.5% |
| 1966 | 0.11 | -46.3% |
| 1967 | 0.101 | -8.2% |
| 1968 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.189 | +87.1% |
| 1970 | 0.322 | +70.4% |
| 1971 | 0.349 | +8.4% |
| 1972 | 0.111 | -68.2% |
| 1973 | 0.088 | -20.7% |
| 1974 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.222 | +152.3% |
| 1980 | 0.405 | +82.4% |
| 1981 | 0.221 | -45.4% |
| 1982 | 0.076 | -65.6% |
| 1983 | 0.077 | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.078 | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 0.078 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.082 | +5.1% |
| 1988 | 0.088 | +7.3% |
| 1989 | 0.087 | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 0.097 | +11.5% |
| 1991 | 0.097 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.114 | +17.5% |
| 1993 | 0.334 | +193.0% |
| 1994 | 0.388 | +16.2% |
| 1995 | 0.396 | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 0.425 | +7.3% |
| 1997 | 0.505 | +18.8% |
| 1998 | 0.505 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.504 | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.57 | +13.1% |
| 2001 | 0.622 | +9.1% |
| 2002 | 0.629 | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 0.631 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 0.635 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 0.634 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 0.634 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.636 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 0.632 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 0.652 | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 0.663 | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 0.663 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.661 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.635 | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 0.63 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.631 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 0.61 | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 0.628 | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 0.623 | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 0.606 | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 0.604 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.554 | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 0.559 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 0.555 | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 0.56 | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 0.606 | +8.2% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 0.606 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.203, 3.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 0.606 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.17, 3.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Liberal Democracy Index 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +193.0% | 0.114 | 0.334 |
| 1979 | +152.3% | 0.088 | 0.222 |
| 1969 | +87.1% | 0.101 | 0.189 |
| 1980 | +82.4% | 0.222 | 0.405 |
| 1951 | +78.8% | 0.113 | 0.202 |
| 1970 | +70.4% | 0.189 | 0.322 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.102 | 0.102 | 0.102 | 8 |
| 1910s | 0.101 | 0.101 | 0.101 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.1026 | 0.101 | 0.103 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1021 | 0.101 | 0.103 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.104 | 0.102 | 0.108 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.2259 | 0.113 | 0.311 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1893 | 0.101 | 0.269 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1532 | 0.088 | 0.349 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1269 | 0.076 | 0.405 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3365 | 0.097 | 0.505 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6275 | 0.57 | 0.652 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.635 | 0.606 | 0.663 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.573 | 0.554 | 0.606 | 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 liberal democracy index in Ghana?
- Liberal democracy index in Ghana was 0.606 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 0.663 in 2010.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.076 in 1982.
- How does Ghana rank for liberal democracy index?
- Ghana ranks 45th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. 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 Liberal Democracy Index. 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 of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.