Age of democracy in Zambia
Zambia: Age of democracy was 11 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Zambia, 1991–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy in Zambia stood at 11 years. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.0% on the previous year and up 1,000.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Zambia peaked at 11 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1991.
Zambia ranks 91st of 110 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of democracy in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1 years | — |
| 1992 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1993 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1994 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1995 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2008 | 1 years | -80.0% |
| 2009 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2010 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2011 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2012 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2014 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2015 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2016 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2017 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2018 | 11 years | +10.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 11 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.5 years, 67% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 11 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15 years, 73% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3 years | 1 years | 5 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 7 years | 3 years | 11 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More social development data for Zambia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 83,225 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 346 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 346 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0038 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of democracy in Zambia?
- Age of democracy in Zambia was 11 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 11 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1991.
- How does Zambia rank for age of democracy?
- Zambia ranks 91st out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1,000.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.