Legislative Corruption Score in Zambia
Zambia: Legislative Corruption Score was 0.351 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.351
Change on year
up 112.7%
World rank
71st
of 174 countries
All-time high
2.13
in 1926
All-time low
-0.238
in 2019
Years of data
100
1926–2025
Legislative Corruption Score in Zambia, 1926–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 0.351 for legislative corruption score in 2025.
The figure is up 112.7% on the previous year and down 52.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, legislative corruption score in Zambia peaked at 2.13 in 1926 and was at its lowest, -0.238, in 2019.
That places Zambia 71st out of 174 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.
Legislative Corruption Score in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 2.13 | — |
| 1927 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1.72 | -19.4% |
| 1965 | 1.78 | +3.4% |
| 1966 | 1.78 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1.78 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.78 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.78 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.78 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1.78 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.78 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.78 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.933 | -47.6% |
| 1975 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.933 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.912 | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 0.672 | -26.3% |
| 1992 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1993 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | 0 | — |
| 1995 | 0 | — |
| 1996 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 1.12 | — |
| 2000 | 1.12 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.12 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.12 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.12 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.12 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.27 | +13.6% |
| 2006 | 1.27 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.27 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.27 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.27 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.36 | +7.5% |
| 2011 | 1.36 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.36 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.775 | -43.2% |
| 2014 | 0.775 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.735 | -5.2% |
| 2016 | 0.472 | -35.8% |
| 2017 | 0.472 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.706 | +49.6% |
| 2019 | -0.238 | -133.7% |
| 2020 | 0.602 | -352.9% |
| 2021 | 0.165 | -72.6% |
| 2022 | 0.165 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.165 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.165 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.351 | +112.7% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.351 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is -0.747. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.351 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.375. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 2.13 | 2.13 | 2.13 | 4 |
| 1930s | 2.13 | 2.13 | 2.13 | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.13 | 2.13 | 2.13 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.13 | 2.13 | 2.13 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.91 | 1.72 | 2.13 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.27 | 0.933 | 1.78 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.933 | 0.933 | 0.933 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2701 | 0 | 1.12 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.19 | 1.12 | 1.27 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7789 | -0.238 | 1.36 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2688 | 0.165 | 0.602 | 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 legislative corruption score in Zambia?
- Legislative corruption score in Zambia was 0.351 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest legislative corruption score recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.13 in 1926.
- What is the lowest legislative corruption score recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.238 in 2019.
- How does Zambia rank for legislative corruption score?
- Zambia ranks 71st out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is legislative corruption score rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.2%. 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 Legislative Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 100 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which members of the legislature abuse their position for financial gain, such as bribes, government contracts, future employment, or stealing from the state. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.