Free and Fair Elections Index in Nigeria
Nigeria: Free and Fair Elections Index was 0.355 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Free and Fair Elections Index in Nigeria, 1914–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for free and fair elections index in Nigeria is 0.355, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and down 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, free and fair elections index in Nigeria peaked at 0.457 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1914.
That places Nigeria 107th 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | — |
| 1953 | 0 | — |
| 1954 | 0 | — |
| 1955 | 0 | — |
| 1956 | 0 | — |
| 1957 | 0 | — |
| 1958 | 0 | — |
| 1959 | 0.009 | — |
| 1960 | 0.256 | +2744.4% |
| 1961 | 0.229 | -10.5% |
| 1962 | 0.229 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.229 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.229 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.102 | -55.5% |
| 1966 | 0.004 | -96.1% |
| 1967 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1968 | 0 | — |
| 1969 | 0 | — |
| 1970 | 0 | — |
| 1971 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0.082 | — |
| 1980 | 0.167 | +103.7% |
| 1981 | 0.167 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.167 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.031 | -81.4% |
| 1984 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 0.098 | — |
| 1993 | 0.124 | +26.5% |
| 1994 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1995 | 0 | — |
| 1996 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 0.021 | — |
| 1999 | 0.264 | +1157.1% |
| 2000 | 0.306 | +15.9% |
| 2001 | 0.306 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.306 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.215 | -29.7% |
| 2004 | 0.18 | -16.3% |
| 2005 | 0.18 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.18 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.171 | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 0.175 | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 0.175 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.19 | +8.6% |
| 2011 | 0.304 | +60.0% |
| 2012 | 0.355 | +16.8% |
| 2013 | 0.382 | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 0.39 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 0.457 | +17.2% |
| 2016 | 0.434 | -5.0% |
| 2017 | 0.434 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.434 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.385 | -11.3% |
| 2020 | 0.383 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 0.37 | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 0.364 | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 0.342 | -6.0% |
| 2024 | 0.35 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 0.355 | +1.4% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 0.355 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.321, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 0.355 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2905, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Free and Fair Elections Index in Nigeria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | +2744.4% | 0.009 | 0.256 |
| 1999 | +1157.1% | 0.021 | 0.264 |
| 1980 | +103.7% | 0.082 | 0.167 |
| 1967 | -100.0% | 0.004 | 0 |
| 1984 | -100.0% | 0.031 | 0 |
| 1994 | -100.0% | 0.124 | 0 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0009 | 0 | 0.009 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1278 | 0 | 0.256 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0082 | 0 | 0.082 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0532 | 0 | 0.167 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0507 | 0 | 0.264 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2194 | 0.171 | 0.306 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3765 | 0.19 | 0.457 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3607 | 0.342 | 0.383 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is free and fair elections index in Nigeria?
- Free and fair elections index in Nigeria was 0.355 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest free and fair elections index recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 0.457 in 2015.
- What is the lowest free and fair elections index recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1914.
- How does Nigeria rank for free and fair elections index?
- Nigeria ranks 107th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is free and fair elections index rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 — 112 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.