Direct Democracy Index in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Direct Democracy Index was 0.117 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.117
Change on year
down 9.3%
World rank
52nd
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.213
in 2017
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Direct Democracy Index in Zimbabwe, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for direct democracy index in Zimbabwe is 0.117, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.3% on the previous year and down 41.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Zimbabwe peaked at 0.213 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
Zimbabwe ranks 52nd of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Direct Democracy Index in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 0 | — |
| 1947 | 0 | — |
| 1948 | 0 | — |
| 1949 | 0 | — |
| 1950 | 0 | — |
| 1951 | 0 | — |
| 1952 | 0 | — |
| 1953 | 0 | — |
| 1954 | 0 | — |
| 1955 | 0 | — |
| 1956 | 0 | — |
| 1957 | 0 | — |
| 1958 | 0 | — |
| 1959 | 0 | — |
| 1960 | 0 | — |
| 1961 | 0 | — |
| 1962 | 0 | — |
| 1963 | 0 | — |
| 1964 | 0 | — |
| 1965 | 0 | — |
| 1966 | 0 | — |
| 1967 | 0 | — |
| 1968 | 0 | — |
| 1969 | 0 | — |
| 1970 | 0 | — |
| 1971 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0.02 | — |
| 1981 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.18 | +800.0% |
| 2001 | 0.18 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.18 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.18 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.18 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.16 | -11.1% |
| 2006 | 0.14 | -12.5% |
| 2007 | 0.12 | -14.3% |
| 2008 | 0.1 | -16.7% |
| 2009 | 0.08 | -20.0% |
| 2010 | 0.06 | -25.0% |
| 2011 | 0.04 | -33.3% |
| 2012 | 0.02 | -50.0% |
| 2013 | 0.2 | +900.0% |
| 2014 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.213 | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 0.201 | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 0.189 | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 0.177 | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 0.165 | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 0.153 | -7.3% |
| 2023 | 0.141 | -7.8% |
| 2024 | 0.129 | -8.5% |
| 2025 | 0.117 | -9.3% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 0.117 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0275, 4.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 0.117 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.033, 3.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.15 | 0.08 | 0.18 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1523 | 0.02 | 0.213 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.147 | 0.117 | 0.177 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More social development data for Zimbabwe
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,570 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,632 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,632 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0005 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 direct democracy index in Zimbabwe?
- Direct democracy index in Zimbabwe was 0.117 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 0.213 in 2017.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for direct democracy index?
- Zimbabwe ranks 52nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Direct Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measures the extent of how easy it is for citizens to vote on specific issues themselves in popular initiatives, referendums, and plebiscites.