Key features of democracy in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Key features of democracy was 0.268 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Key features of democracy in Zimbabwe, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of democracy in Zimbabwe stood at 0.268.
The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy 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.
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
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 8,570 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 6,632 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Public Sector Corruption Index 0.857 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.414 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.424 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.268 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.202 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.147 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of democracy in Zimbabwe?
- Key features of democracy in Zimbabwe was 0.268 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 0.33 in 1981.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.056 in 1978.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for key features of democracy?
- Zimbabwe ranks 122nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy 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 Key features of democracy. 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.