Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in United States
United States: Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was 1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Change on year
down 8.5%
World rank
32nd
of 206 countries
All-time high
1.94 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2002
All-time low
1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2025
Years of data
27
1996–2025
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in United States, 1996–2025
Source: World Bank. Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.
Analysis
United States recorded 1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 for government effectiveness - governance estimate in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.5% on the previous year and down 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government effectiveness - governance estimate in United States peaked at 1.94 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2025.
United States ranks 32nd of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in United States, year by year
| Year | approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1.78 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | — |
| 1998 | 1.74 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 1.91 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +9.3% |
| 2002 | 1.94 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 1.62 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -16.7% |
| 2004 | 1.59 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 1.58 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 1.52 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 1.52 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 1.52 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 1.44 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 1.44 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 1.44 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 1.51 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 1.53 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 1.57 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 1.55 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 1.55 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 1.55 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 1.58 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -5.2% |
| 2020 | 1.34 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -10.7% |
| 2021 | 1.35 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 1.39 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -6.9% |
| 2024 | 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -8.5% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.05 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.1× the median. (74 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.76 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.74 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.78 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.63 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.44 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.94 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.52 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.44 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.58 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.31 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.39 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government effectiveness - governance estimate in United States?
- Government effectiveness - governance estimate in United States was 1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to the World Bank.
- What is the highest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 1.94 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2002.
- What is the lowest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025.
- How does United States rank for government effectiveness - governance estimate?
- United States ranks 32nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is government effectiveness - governance estimate rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).