Political Rights Rating in Ghana
Ghana: Political Rights Rating was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Political Rights Rating in Ghana, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 2 for political rights rating in 2025.
The figure is up 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Ghana peaked at 7 in 1973 and was at its lowest, 1, in 2005.
Ghana ranks 115th of 199 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.
Political Rights Rating in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 6 | — |
| 1973 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1974 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1978 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1979 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1980 | 2 | -50.0% |
| 1982 | 6 | +200.0% |
| 1983 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1985 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1989 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1993 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1996 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1997 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 2001 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 2006 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 2020 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2 | +0.0% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 2 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 40% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 2 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6, 33% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.12 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| 1980s | 6 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.3 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 115 Antigua and Barbuda 2 compare
- 115 Argentina 2 compare
- 115 Belize 2 compare
- 115 Bhutan 2 compare
- 115 Bolivia 2 compare
- 115 Botswana 2 compare
- 115 Brazil 2 compare
- 115 Bulgaria 2 compare
- 115 Colombia 2 compare
- 115 Croatia 2 compare
- 115 East Timor 2 compare
- 115 Greece 2 compare
- 115 India 2 compare
- 115 Israel 2 compare
- 115 Italy 2 compare
- 115 Jamaica 2 compare
- 115 Lesotho 2 compare
- 115 Liberia 2 compare
- 115 Liechtenstein 2 compare
- 115 Malawi 2 compare
- 115 Malta 2 compare
- 115 Nauru 2 compare
- 115 Panama 2 compare
- 115 Poland 2 compare
- 115 Romania 2 compare
- 115 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
- 115 Samoa 2 compare
- 115 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 115 Senegal 2 compare
- 115 Seychelles 2 compare
- 115 Slovakia 2 compare
- 115 South Africa 2 compare
- 115 South Korea 2 compare
- 115 Suriname 2 compare
- 115 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
- 115 United States 2 compare
- 115 Vanuatu 2 compare
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)
- 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)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 181.46 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Ghana?
- Political rights rating in Ghana was 2 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1973.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 2005.
- How does Ghana rank for political rights rating?
- Ghana ranks 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana 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.