Free country in Ghana
Ghana: Free country was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
2
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 199 countries
All-time high
2
in 1980
All-time low
0
in 1972
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Free country in Ghana, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 2 for free country in 2025. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, free country in Ghana peaked at 2 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1972.
That places Ghana 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Free country in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 1 | — |
| 1978 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1982 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 1 | — |
| 1993 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 2001 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 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 above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1, 2.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 2 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1, 2.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.375 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 1980s | 0.2222 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.8 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 1 Andorra 2 compare
- 1 Antigua and Barbuda 2 compare
- 1 Argentina 2 compare
- 1 Australia 2 compare
- 1 Austria 2 compare
- 1 Bahamas 2 compare
- 1 Barbados 2 compare
- 1 Belgium 2 compare
- 1 Belize 2 compare
- 1 Bhutan 2 compare
- 1 Bolivia 2 compare
- 1 Botswana 2 compare
- 1 Brazil 2 compare
- 1 Bulgaria 2 compare
- 1 Canada 2 compare
- 1 Cape Verde 2 compare
- 1 Chile 2 compare
- 1 Colombia 2 compare
- 1 Costa Rica 2 compare
- 1 Croatia 2 compare
- 1 Cyprus 2 compare
- 1 Czechia 2 compare
- 1 Denmark 2 compare
- 1 Dominica 2 compare
- 1 East Timor 2 compare
- 1 Estonia 2 compare
- 1 Fiji 2 compare
- 1 Finland 2 compare
- 1 France 2 compare
- 1 Germany 2 compare
- 1 Greece 2 compare
- 1 Grenada 2 compare
- 1 Guyana 2 compare
- 1 Iceland 2 compare
- 1 Ireland 2 compare
- 1 Israel 2 compare
- 1 Italy 2 compare
- 1 Jamaica 2 compare
- 1 Japan 2 compare
- 1 Kiribati 2 compare
- 1 Latvia 2 compare
- 1 Lesotho 2 compare
- 1 Liechtenstein 2 compare
- 1 Lithuania 2 compare
- 1 Luxembourg 2 compare
- 1 Malawi 2 compare
- 1 Malta 2 compare
- 1 Marshall Islands 2 compare
- 1 Mauritius 2 compare
- 1 Micronesia (country) 2 compare
- 1 Monaco 2 compare
- 1 Mongolia 2 compare
- 1 Namibia 2 compare
- 1 Nauru 2 compare
- 1 Netherlands 2 compare
- 1 New Zealand 2 compare
- 1 Norway 2 compare
- 1 Palau 2 compare
- 1 Panama 2 compare
- 1 Poland 2 compare
- 1 Portugal 2 compare
- 1 Puerto Rico 2 compare
- 1 Romania 2 compare
- 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
- 1 Saint Lucia 2 compare
- 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 compare
- 1 Samoa 2 compare
- 1 San Marino 2 compare
- 1 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 1 Senegal 2 compare
- 1 Seychelles 2 compare
- 1 Slovakia 2 compare
- 1 Slovenia 2 compare
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- 1 South Africa 2 compare
- 1 South Korea 2 compare
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- 1 United States 2 compare
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More reference data data for Ghana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2805 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1989 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9405 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9478 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is free country in Ghana?
- Free country in Ghana was 2 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest free country recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1980.
- What is the lowest free country recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1972.
- How does Ghana rank for free country?
- Ghana ranks 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is free country rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 Free country. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The variable identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between free countries (score 2), partly free countries (score 1), and not free countries (score 0).