Political Rights Rating in Gambia
Gambia: Political Rights Rating was 4 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
79th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1994
All-time low
1
in 1992
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Political Rights Rating in Gambia, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for political rights rating in Gambia is 4, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 42.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Gambia peaked at 7 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1992.
That places Gambia 79th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Political Rights Rating in Gambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 2 | — |
| 1973 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1983 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 1990 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 1993 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1994 | 7 | +250.0% |
| 1995 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 | -28.6% |
| 2002 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2003 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2006 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2016 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 2017 | 4 | -33.3% |
| 2018 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 | +0.0% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 4 is below the median for low income countries, which is 7, 57% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Gambia'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 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 1980s | 2.78 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.9 | 1 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.9 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.4 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 79 Armenia 4 compare
- 79 Benin 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 Gambia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,108 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,728 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (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 0.0024 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,728 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0015 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 3.63 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Gambia?
- Political rights rating in Gambia was 4 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1994.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1992.
- How does Gambia rank for political rights rating?
- Gambia ranks 79th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia 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.
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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.