Key features of democracy in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Key features of democracy was 0.268 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.268
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
122nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.33
in 1981
All-time low
0.056
in 1978
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Key features of democracy in Zimbabwe, 1900–2025

0.10.20.3190019622025

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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 120 Jordan 0.282 compare
  2. 121 Mozambique 0.279 compare
  3. 123 Algeria 0.265 compare
  4. 124 Cameroon 0.26 compare
  5. 125 Kazakhstan 0.259 compare
  6. 125 Morocco 0.259 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

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

Indicator
Key features of democracy
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

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.