Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Zambia
Zambia: Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) was 5 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Zambia, 1991–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 5 years for age of electoral democracy in 2025.
That represents a change of up 25.0% on the previous year and down 80.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Zambia peaked at 25 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1991.
That places Zambia 138th out of 144 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) 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% |
| 1996 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1997 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1998 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1999 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2000 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2001 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2002 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2003 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2004 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2005 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 1 years | -96.0% |
| 2022 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2023 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2024 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2025 | 5 years | +25.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 5 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24 years, 21% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 5 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14 years, 36% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -96.0% | 25 years | 1 years |
| 1992 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 2022 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1993 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 2023 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 years | 1 years | 9 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.5 years | 10 years | 19 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.5 years | 20 years | 25 years | 6 |
| 2020s | 3 years | 1 years | 5 years | 5 |
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 electoral democracy in Zambia?
- Age of electoral democracy in Zambia was 5 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 25 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1991.
- How does Zambia rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Zambia ranks 138th out of 144 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 80.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.