Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Zambia
Zambia: Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) was 3 years in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
3 years
Change on year
up 50.0%
World rank
104th
of 111 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 2012
All-time low
1 years
in 2007
Years of data
9
2007–2024
Age of electoral democracy in Zambia, 2007–2024
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 3 years for age of electoral democracy in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 50.0% on the previous year and down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Zambia peaked at 6 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 2007.
Zambia ranks 104th of 111 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1 years | — |
| 2008 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2009 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2010 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2011 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2022 | 1 years | -83.3% |
| 2023 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2024 | 3 years | +50.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 3 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21 years, 14% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 3 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12 years, 25% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 5 years | 4 years | 6 years | 3 |
| 2020s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
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 3 years in 2024, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 2007.
- How does Zambia rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Zambia ranks 104th out of 111 countries with data for 2024.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (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 — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.