Electoral Democracy Index in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Electoral Democracy Index was 0.268 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.268
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
122nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.33
in 1981
All-time low
0.056
in 1978
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Electoral Democracy Index in Zimbabwe, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, electoral democracy index in Zimbabwe stood at 0.268.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electoral democracy index in Zimbabwe peaked at 0.33 in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.056, in 1978.
Zimbabwe ranks 122nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Electoral Democracy Index in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.184 | — |
| 1901 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.183 | -0.5% |
| 1903 | 0.182 | -0.5% |
| 1904 | 0.182 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.183 | +0.5% |
| 1906 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.184 | +0.5% |
| 1912 | 0.185 | +0.5% |
| 1913 | 0.185 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.184 | -0.5% |
| 1915 | 0.183 | -0.5% |
| 1916 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.193 | +5.5% |
| 1920 | 0.183 | -5.2% |
| 1921 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.216 | +18.0% |
| 1924 | 0.268 | +24.1% |
| 1925 | 0.27 | +0.7% |
| 1926 | 0.27 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.27 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.269 | -0.4% |
| 1929 | 0.268 | -0.4% |
| 1930 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.269 | +0.4% |
| 1935 | 0.268 | -0.4% |
| 1936 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.259 | -3.4% |
| 1946 | 0.259 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.259 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.259 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.258 | -0.4% |
| 1950 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.256 | -0.8% |
| 1954 | 0.255 | -0.4% |
| 1955 | 0.255 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.254 | -0.4% |
| 1957 | 0.245 | -3.5% |
| 1958 | 0.239 | -2.4% |
| 1959 | 0.228 | -4.6% |
| 1960 | 0.233 | +2.2% |
| 1961 | 0.233 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.233 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.228 | -2.1% |
| 1964 | 0.213 | -6.6% |
| 1965 | 0.204 | -4.2% |
| 1966 | 0.197 | -3.4% |
| 1967 | 0.197 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.197 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.197 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.197 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.193 | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 0.193 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.193 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.194 | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 0.194 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.194 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.193 | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 0.056 | -71.0% |
| 1979 | 0.165 | +194.6% |
| 1980 | 0.303 | +83.6% |
| 1981 | 0.33 | +8.9% |
| 1982 | 0.327 | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 0.327 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.32 | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 0.313 | -2.2% |
| 1986 | 0.311 | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 0.217 | -30.2% |
| 1988 | 0.306 | +41.0% |
| 1989 | 0.309 | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 0.303 | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 0.31 | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 0.31 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.31 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.31 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.31 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.313 | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 0.309 | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 0.308 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 0.31 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 0.284 | -8.4% |
| 2001 | 0.267 | -6.0% |
| 2002 | 0.268 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 0.269 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 0.259 | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 0.258 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 0.255 | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 0.255 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.251 | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 0.254 | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 0.265 | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 0.266 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 0.266 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.289 | +8.6% |
| 2014 | 0.303 | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 0.302 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.297 | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 0.3 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 0.313 | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 0.304 | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 0.299 | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 0.297 | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.292 | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 0.296 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 0.272 | -8.1% |
| 2025 | 0.268 | -1.5% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 0.268 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3475, 77% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 0.268 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.317, 85% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electoral Democracy Index in Zimbabwe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +194.6% | 0.056 | 0.165 |
| 1980 | +83.6% | 0.165 | 0.303 |
| 1978 | -71.0% | 0.193 | 0.056 |
| 1988 | +41.0% | 0.217 | 0.306 |
| 1987 | -30.2% | 0.311 | 0.217 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.183 | 0.182 | 0.184 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.1846 | 0.183 | 0.193 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.238 | 0.183 | 0.27 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.2681 | 0.268 | 0.269 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2634 | 0.258 | 0.268 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.2506 | 0.228 | 0.258 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2132 | 0.197 | 0.233 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1772 | 0.056 | 0.197 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3063 | 0.217 | 0.33 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3093 | 0.303 | 0.313 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.262 | 0.251 | 0.284 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2905 | 0.265 | 0.313 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2873 | 0.268 | 0.299 | 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 electoral democracy index in Zimbabwe?
- Electoral democracy index in Zimbabwe was 0.268 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electoral democracy index recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 0.33 in 1981.
- What is the lowest electoral democracy index recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.056 in 1978.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for electoral democracy index?
- Zimbabwe ranks 122nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electoral democracy index rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Electoral 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
Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.