Freedom Score in Zambia
Zambia: Freedom Score was 53 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom Score in Zambia, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom score in Zambia stood at 53.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Zambia peaked at 63 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 51, in 2021.
That places Zambia 111th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Freedom Score in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 53 | — |
| 2003 | 56 | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 57 | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 56 | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 59 | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 60 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 61 | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 60 | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 58 | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 63 | +8.6% |
| 2012 | 62 | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 59 | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 60 | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 60 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 56 | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 55 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 54 | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 54 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 52 | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 51 | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 54 | +5.9% |
| 2023 | 54 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 53 | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 53 | +0.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 53 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 41, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 53 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 35, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 57.75 | 53 | 61 | 8 |
| 2010s | 58.1 | 54 | 63 | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.83 | 51 | 54 | 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 score in Zambia?
- Freedom score in Zambia was 53 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 63 in 2011.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 51 in 2021.
- How does Zambia rank for freedom score?
- Zambia ranks 111th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Freedom House's total democracy score is a 0-to-100 aggregate that adds up a country's points on 25 indicators of political rights (max 40) and civil liberties (max 60), creating a single snapshot of the freedoms people actually enjoy.