Democracy and Governance Profile of Nigeria

Nigeria is classified as a Electoral Autocracy in the V-Dem Democracy Report for 2024, meaning that elections exist but are unfree and unfair, and liberal democratic principles are absent. This classification is based on V-Dem’s assessment of the country’s electoral processes, civil liberties, rule of law, and other democratic attributes.

Democracy Index

The Electoral Democracy Index (0.499) is classified as Low, indicating low performance on electoral democracy components including freedom of association, clean elections, freedom of expression, and suffrage. The Liberal Democracy Index (0.314) is classified as Low, representing low performance when accounting for liberal democratic principles such as individual rights, rule of law, and constraints on the executive.

Rule of Law

The Rule of Law Index (0.238) is classified as Very Low, reflecting very low adherence to rule of law principles. The Rule of Law Respect component (0.643) is classified as Moderate, indicating moderate respect for the rule of law in practice. Property Rights (0.773) are classified as High, representing strong protection of property rights. Equal Access and Non-Discrimination (0.916) is classified as Very High, indicating exceptional levels of equal treatment under the law.

Judicial Independence

The Judicial Constraints on the Executive index (0.429) is classified as Low, reflecting low constraints on executive power by the judiciary. High Court Independence (+0.071) is classified as Moderate, while Lower Court Independence (+0.226) is classified as Moderate. These indicators measure the de facto independence of courts from government interference.

Civil Liberties

The Civil Liberties Index (0.679) is classified as Moderate, indicating moderate protection of civil liberties. The Physical Violence Index (0.342) is classified as Low, reflecting low freedom from state-sponsored physical violence against citizens.

Accountability and Corruption

The Horizontal Accountability index (+0.366) is classified as Moderate, measuring the extent to which state agencies constrain each other. The Overall Accountability index (+0.800) is classified as Moderate, capturing vertical, horizontal, and diagonal accountability mechanisms. The Executive Corruption index (0.908) is classified as High, measuring the pervasiveness of corruption within the executive branch.

Historical Context

V-Dem data for Nigeria is available from 1914 onwards. In 2024, the Electoral Democracy Index was 0.499, the Liberal Democracy Index was 0.314, and the Rule of Law Index was 0.238. In 2014, the Electoral Democracy Index was 0.525, the Liberal Democracy Index was 0.389, and the Rule of Law Index was 0.259. In 2004, the Electoral Democracy Index was 0.412, the Liberal Democracy Index was 0.296, and the Rule of Law Index was 0.229.

The Electoral Democracy score has been generally improving over the past decade compared to the decade prior. The Liberal Democracy score has remained relatively stable over the past decade compared to the decade prior. The Rule of Law score has remained relatively stable over the past decade compared to the decade prior. The Judicial Constraints score has remained relatively stable over the past decade compared to the decade prior. Over the full time series, there has been a moderate increase in liberal democracy.

Data source: Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) v16. For more information, see the V-Dem Dataset and the V-Dem Project. These indicator values are point estimates from V-Dem’s measurement model. Each indicator has an associated uncertainty interval. See the V-Dem Codebook for detailed methodology.