Political Rights Rating in Benin
Benin: Political Rights Rating was 4 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
79th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1972
All-time low
2
in 1991
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Political Rights Rating in Benin, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for political rights rating in Benin is 4, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Benin peaked at 7 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1991.
That places Benin 79th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Political Rights Rating in Benin, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 7 | — |
| 1973 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1991 | 2 | -66.7% |
| 1992 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 2002 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 2004 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 | +100.0% |
| 2020 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2022 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2024 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 | +0.0% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 4 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 80% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 4 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6, 67% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| 1980s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| 1990s | 2.4 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.2 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.33 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 79 Armenia 4 compare
- 79 Gambia 4 compare
- 79 Georgia 4 compare
- 79 Guatemala 4 compare
- 79 Honduras 4 compare
- 79 Kenya 4 compare
- 79 Malaysia 4 compare
- 79 Maldives 4 compare
- 79 Nigeria 4 compare
- 79 Papua New Guinea 4 compare
- 79 Serbia 4 compare
- 79 Sierra Leone 4 compare
- 79 Singapore 4 compare
- 79 Ukraine 4 compare
- 79 Zambia 4 compare
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)
- 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)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4.57 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Benin?
- Political rights rating in Benin was 4 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1972.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1991.
- How does Benin rank for political rights rating?
- Benin ranks 79th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Rights Rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Identifies the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, and a functioning government. Lower ratings indicate more rights.