Freedom of Association Index in Zambia
Zambia: Freedom of Association Index was 0.746 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.746
Change on year
down 5.0%
World rank
88th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.826
in 2023
All-time low
0.06
in 1912
Years of data
115
1911–2025
Freedom of Association Index in Zambia, 1911–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom of association index in Zambia stood at 0.746.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.0% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of association index in Zambia peaked at 0.826 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.06, in 1912.
Zambia ranks 88th of 176 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.
Freedom of Association Index in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 0.07 | — |
| 1912 | 0.06 | -14.3% |
| 1913 | 0.06 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.06 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.06 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.06 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.06 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.06 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.06 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.06 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.06 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.06 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.068 | +13.3% |
| 1924 | 0.083 | +22.1% |
| 1925 | 0.074 | -10.8% |
| 1926 | 0.077 | +4.1% |
| 1927 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.079 | +2.6% |
| 1930 | 0.076 | -3.8% |
| 1931 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.075 | -1.3% |
| 1933 | 0.073 | -2.7% |
| 1934 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.071 | -2.7% |
| 1936 | 0.071 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.071 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.073 | +2.8% |
| 1939 | 0.087 | +19.2% |
| 1940 | 0.097 | +11.5% |
| 1941 | 0.099 | +2.1% |
| 1942 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.097 | -2.0% |
| 1944 | 0.101 | +4.1% |
| 1945 | 0.103 | +2.0% |
| 1946 | 0.113 | +9.7% |
| 1947 | 0.135 | +19.5% |
| 1948 | 0.258 | +91.1% |
| 1949 | 0.283 | +9.7% |
| 1950 | 0.278 | -1.8% |
| 1951 | 0.288 | +3.6% |
| 1952 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.318 | +10.4% |
| 1955 | 0.322 | +1.3% |
| 1956 | 0.322 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.322 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.337 | +4.7% |
| 1959 | 0.324 | -3.9% |
| 1960 | 0.358 | +10.5% |
| 1961 | 0.385 | +7.5% |
| 1962 | 0.443 | +15.1% |
| 1963 | 0.485 | +9.5% |
| 1964 | 0.579 | +19.4% |
| 1965 | 0.61 | +5.4% |
| 1966 | 0.621 | +1.8% |
| 1967 | 0.621 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.62 | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 0.54 | -12.9% |
| 1970 | 0.51 | -5.6% |
| 1971 | 0.379 | -25.7% |
| 1972 | 0.33 | -12.9% |
| 1973 | 0.191 | -42.1% |
| 1974 | 0.111 | -41.9% |
| 1975 | 0.106 | -4.5% |
| 1976 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.104 | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.102 | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.103 | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 0.107 | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 0.141 | +31.8% |
| 1991 | 0.322 | +128.4% |
| 1992 | 0.687 | +113.4% |
| 1993 | 0.719 | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 0.77 | +7.1% |
| 1995 | 0.77 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.777 | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 0.757 | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 0.757 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.757 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.771 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 0.779 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 0.786 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.786 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.786 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.782 | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 0.783 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.762 | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 0.779 | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 0.786 | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 0.771 | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 0.749 | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.767 | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 0.728 | -5.1% |
| 2014 | 0.727 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 0.717 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 0.687 | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 0.639 | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 0.658 | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 0.592 | -10.0% |
| 2020 | 0.605 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 0.667 | +10.2% |
| 2022 | 0.789 | +18.3% |
| 2023 | 0.826 | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 0.785 | -5.0% |
| 2025 | 0.746 | -5.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.746 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.567, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.746 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5515, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Freedom of Association 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +128.4% | 0.141 | 0.322 |
| 1992 | +113.4% | 0.322 | 0.687 |
| 1948 | +91.1% | 0.135 | 0.258 |
| 1973 | -42.1% | 0.33 | 0.191 |
| 1974 | -41.9% | 0.191 | 0.111 |
| 1990 | +31.8% | 0.107 | 0.141 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.0611 | 0.06 | 0.07 | 9 |
| 1920s | 0.0715 | 0.06 | 0.083 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0746 | 0.071 | 0.087 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1385 | 0.097 | 0.283 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.3087 | 0.278 | 0.337 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.5262 | 0.358 | 0.621 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2049 | 0.104 | 0.51 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1034 | 0.102 | 0.107 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6457 | 0.141 | 0.777 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.78 | 0.762 | 0.786 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7035 | 0.592 | 0.771 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7363 | 0.605 | 0.826 | 6 |
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 freedom of association index in Zambia?
- Freedom of association index in Zambia was 0.746 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of association index recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.826 in 2023.
- What is the lowest freedom of association index recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.06 in 1912.
- How does Zambia rank for freedom of association index?
- Zambia ranks 88th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of association index rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. 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 Freedom of Association Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 115 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which parties, including opposition parties, are allowed to form and participate in elections and the extent to which civil society organizations are allowed to form and operate freely.