Judicial Corruption Score in Zambia
Zambia: Judicial Corruption Score was -0.327 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
-0.327
Change on year
down 140.0%
World rank
100th
of 176 countries
All-time high
2.29
in 1911
All-time low
-0.553
in 1992
Years of data
115
1911–2025
Judicial Corruption Score in Zambia, 1911–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, judicial corruption score in Zambia stood at -0.327.
That represents a change of down 140.0% on the previous year and down 146.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, judicial corruption score in Zambia peaked at 2.29 in 1911 and was at its lowest, -0.553, in 1992.
That places Zambia 100th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Judicial Corruption Score in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 2.29 | — |
| 1912 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 2.29 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 1.58 | -30.9% |
| 1925 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.799 | -49.5% |
| 1965 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.799 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | -0.304 | -138.0% |
| 1992 | -0.553 | +81.9% |
| 1993 | -0.553 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -0.553 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -0.553 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -0.553 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -0.553 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -0.553 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -0.553 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -0.553 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -0.553 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.284 | -151.4% |
| 2003 | 0.284 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.284 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.284 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.284 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.284 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.284 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | -0.033 | -111.6% |
| 2010 | 0.285 | -963.6% |
| 2011 | 0.224 | -21.4% |
| 2012 | 0.224 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.702 | +213.4% |
| 2014 | 0.702 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.702 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.702 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.696 | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 0.696 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.469 | -32.6% |
| 2020 | 0.728 | +55.2% |
| 2021 | 0.53 | -27.2% |
| 2022 | 0.138 | -74.0% |
| 2023 | 0.818 | +492.8% |
| 2024 | 0.818 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | -0.327 | -140.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's -0.327 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is -1.01, 33% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's -0.327 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.632, 52% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 2.29 | 2.29 | 2.29 | 9 |
| 1920s | 1.87 | 1.58 | 2.29 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.58 | 1.58 | 1.58 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.58 | 1.58 | 1.58 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.58 | 1.58 | 1.58 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.11 | 0.799 | 1.58 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.799 | 0.799 | 0.799 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.799 | 0.799 | 0.799 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.3929 | -0.553 | 0.799 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0849 | -0.553 | 0.284 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5402 | 0.224 | 0.702 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4508 | -0.327 | 0.818 | 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 judicial corruption score in Zambia?
- Judicial corruption score in Zambia was -0.327 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest judicial corruption score recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.29 in 1911.
- What is the lowest judicial corruption score recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.553 in 1992.
- How does Zambia rank for judicial corruption score?
- Zambia ranks 100th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is judicial corruption score rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 146.6%. 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 Judicial Corruption Score. 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
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of how often individuals or businesses make undocumented extra payments or bribes to obtain a favorable judicial decision, or speed up or delay the process. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.