Key features of democracy in Tanzania
Tanzania: Key features of democracy was 0.365 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.365
Change on year
down 11.6%
World rank
106th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.491
in 1996
All-time low
0.039
in 1917
Years of data
111
1915–2025
Key features of democracy in Tanzania, 1915–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Tanzania recorded 0.365 for key features of democracy in 2025.
The figure is down 11.6% on the previous year and down 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Tanzania peaked at 0.491 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.039, in 1917.
Tanzania ranks 106th 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.
Key features of democracy in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1915 | 0.044 | — |
| 1916 | 0.044 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.039 | -11.4% |
| 1918 | 0.039 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.044 | +12.8% |
| 1920 | 0.045 | +2.3% |
| 1921 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.047 | +4.4% |
| 1931 | 0.047 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.047 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.047 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.047 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.047 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.047 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.047 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.052 | +10.6% |
| 1939 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.057 | +9.6% |
| 1952 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.057 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.063 | +10.5% |
| 1955 | 0.069 | +9.5% |
| 1956 | 0.072 | +4.3% |
| 1957 | 0.072 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.11 | +52.8% |
| 1959 | 0.155 | +40.9% |
| 1960 | 0.165 | +6.5% |
| 1961 | 0.21 | +27.3% |
| 1962 | 0.246 | +17.1% |
| 1963 | 0.324 | +31.7% |
| 1964 | 0.318 | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 0.269 | -15.4% |
| 1966 | 0.254 | -5.6% |
| 1967 | 0.245 | -3.5% |
| 1968 | 0.243 | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.242 | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.241 | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 0.243 | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.242 | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 0.244 | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 0.248 | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 0.248 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.248 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.256 | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 0.263 | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 0.267 | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 0.267 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.267 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.287 | +7.5% |
| 1991 | 0.294 | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 0.393 | +33.7% |
| 1993 | 0.402 | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 0.414 | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 0.473 | +14.3% |
| 1996 | 0.491 | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 0.491 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.491 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.491 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.477 | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 0.44 | -7.8% |
| 2002 | 0.44 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.44 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.44 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.429 | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 0.465 | +8.4% |
| 2007 | 0.462 | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.464 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 0.465 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 0.467 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 0.477 | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 0.475 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 0.47 | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 0.467 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 0.453 | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 0.409 | -9.7% |
| 2017 | 0.401 | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 0.385 | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 0.383 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.383 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.366 | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 0.397 | +8.5% |
| 2023 | 0.409 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 0.413 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 0.365 | -11.6% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 0.365 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3475, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 0.365 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.317, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Key features of democracy in Tanzania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | +52.8% | 0.072 | 0.11 |
| 1959 | +40.9% | 0.11 | 0.155 |
| 1992 | +33.7% | 0.294 | 0.393 |
| 1963 | +31.7% | 0.246 | 0.324 |
| 1961 | +27.3% | 0.165 | 0.21 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.042 | 0.039 | 0.044 | 5 |
| 1920s | 0.045 | 0.045 | 0.045 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.048 | 0.047 | 0.052 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.052 | 0.052 | 0.052 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0764 | 0.052 | 0.155 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2517 | 0.165 | 0.324 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2422 | 0.241 | 0.243 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.255 | 0.242 | 0.267 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4227 | 0.287 | 0.491 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4522 | 0.429 | 0.477 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4387 | 0.383 | 0.477 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3888 | 0.365 | 0.413 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More social development data for Tanzania
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 171,142 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,592 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,592 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0024 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 key features of democracy in Tanzania?
- Key features of democracy in Tanzania was 0.365 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 0.491 in 1996.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.039 in 1917.
- How does Tanzania rank for key features of democracy?
- Tanzania ranks 106th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Tanzania data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key features of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 111 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.