Free and Fair Elections Index in Benin
Benin: Free and Fair Elections Index was 0.638 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Free and Fair Elections Index in Benin, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Benin recorded 0.638 for free and fair elections index in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, free and fair elections index in Benin peaked at 0.791 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Benin 77th out of 176 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.
Free and Fair Elections Index in Benin, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 0 | — |
| 1947 | 0 | — |
| 1948 | 0 | — |
| 1949 | 0 | — |
| 1950 | 0 | — |
| 1951 | 0 | — |
| 1952 | 0.164 | — |
| 1953 | 0.216 | +31.7% |
| 1954 | 0.216 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.216 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.216 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.202 | -6.5% |
| 1958 | 0.198 | -2.0% |
| 1959 | 0.259 | +30.8% |
| 1960 | 0.358 | +38.2% |
| 1961 | 0.386 | +7.8% |
| 1962 | 0.386 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.386 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.351 | -9.1% |
| 1965 | 0.341 | -2.8% |
| 1966 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1967 | 0 | — |
| 1968 | 0.208 | — |
| 1969 | 0.3 | +44.2% |
| 1970 | 0.043 | -85.7% |
| 1971 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0.018 | — |
| 1980 | 0.158 | +777.8% |
| 1981 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.134 | -15.2% |
| 1985 | 0.115 | -14.2% |
| 1986 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.114 | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 0.012 | -89.5% |
| 1991 | 0.457 | +3708.3% |
| 1992 | 0.528 | +15.5% |
| 1993 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.576 | +9.1% |
| 1996 | 0.566 | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 0.561 | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 0.561 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.547 | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 0.542 | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 0.538 | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 0.537 | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 0.525 | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 0.521 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.586 | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 0.67 | +14.3% |
| 2007 | 0.649 | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 0.638 | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 0.638 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.638 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.559 | -12.4% |
| 2012 | 0.54 | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 0.559 | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 0.574 | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 0.67 | +16.7% |
| 2016 | 0.781 | +16.6% |
| 2017 | 0.791 | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 0.78 | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 0.53 | -32.1% |
| 2020 | 0.44 | -17.0% |
| 2021 | 0.439 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 0.443 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 0.624 | +40.9% |
| 2024 | 0.638 | +2.2% |
| 2025 | 0.638 | +0.0% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 0.638 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.321, 2.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Benin's 0.638 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2905, 2.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Free and Fair Elections Index in Benin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +3708.3% | 0.012 | 0.457 |
| 1980 | +777.8% | 0.018 | 0.158 |
| 1966 | -100.0% | 0.341 | 0 |
| 1971 | -100.0% | 0.043 | 0 |
| 1990 | -89.5% | 0.114 | 0.012 |
| 1970 | -85.7% | 0.3 | 0.043 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1687 | 0 | 0.259 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2716 | 0 | 0.386 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0061 | 0 | 0.043 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.134 | 0.114 | 0.158 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4864 | 0.012 | 0.576 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5844 | 0.521 | 0.67 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6422 | 0.53 | 0.791 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.537 | 0.439 | 0.638 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More reference data data for Benin
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1979 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1562 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6635 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5244 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8505 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is free and fair elections index in Benin?
- Free and fair elections index in Benin was 0.638 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest free and fair elections index recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 0.791 in 2017.
- What is the lowest free and fair elections index recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Benin rank for free and fair elections index?
- Benin ranks 77th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is free and fair elections index rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Free and Fair Elections Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which registration fraud, systematic irregularities, government intimidation of the opposition, vote buying, and election violence are absent, and the election management body is autonomous and has enough staff and resources.