Liberal Democracy Index in Zambia
Zambia: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.375 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.375
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
83rd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.436
in 2022
All-time low
0.068
in 1911
Years of data
115
1911–2025
Liberal Democracy Index in Zambia, 1911–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for liberal democracy index in Zambia is 0.375, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 3.8% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in Zambia peaked at 0.436 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.068, in 1911.
Zambia ranks 83rd 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.
Liberal Democracy Index in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 0.068 | — |
| 1912 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.068 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.072 | +5.9% |
| 1925 | 0.068 | -5.6% |
| 1926 | 0.101 | +48.5% |
| 1927 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.102 | +1.0% |
| 1931 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.101 | -1.0% |
| 1939 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.102 | +1.0% |
| 1941 | 0.103 | +1.0% |
| 1942 | 0.102 | -1.0% |
| 1943 | 0.103 | +1.0% |
| 1944 | 0.102 | -1.0% |
| 1945 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.105 | +2.9% |
| 1949 | 0.106 | +1.0% |
| 1950 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.107 | +0.9% |
| 1952 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.106 | -0.9% |
| 1954 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.107 | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.109 | +1.9% |
| 1961 | 0.11 | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 0.111 | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 0.117 | +5.4% |
| 1964 | 0.168 | +43.6% |
| 1965 | 0.211 | +25.6% |
| 1966 | 0.211 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.212 | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 0.214 | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 0.206 | -3.7% |
| 1970 | 0.204 | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 0.195 | -4.4% |
| 1972 | 0.194 | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 0.159 | -18.0% |
| 1974 | 0.147 | -7.5% |
| 1975 | 0.147 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.147 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.147 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.147 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.147 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.147 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.147 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.147 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.147 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.148 | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 0.148 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.148 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.148 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.148 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.149 | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 0.161 | +8.1% |
| 1991 | 0.248 | +54.0% |
| 1992 | 0.344 | +38.7% |
| 1993 | 0.355 | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 0.377 | +6.2% |
| 1995 | 0.377 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.384 | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 0.374 | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 0.374 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.374 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.38 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 0.394 | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 0.405 | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 0.405 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.405 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.419 | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 0.418 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.42 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 0.424 | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 0.426 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 0.427 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.42 | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 0.421 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 0.391 | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 0.388 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.371 | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 0.328 | -11.6% |
| 2017 | 0.294 | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 0.294 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.301 | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 0.292 | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 0.339 | +16.1% |
| 2022 | 0.436 | +28.6% |
| 2023 | 0.427 | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 0.39 | -8.7% |
| 2025 | 0.375 | -3.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.375 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.203, 1.8× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.375 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.17, 2.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Liberal Democracy Index in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +54.0% | 0.161 | 0.248 |
| 1926 | +48.5% | 0.068 | 0.101 |
| 1964 | +43.6% | 0.117 | 0.168 |
| 1992 | +38.7% | 0.248 | 0.344 |
| 2022 | +28.6% | 0.339 | 0.436 |
| 1965 | +25.6% | 0.168 | 0.211 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.068 | 0.068 | 0.068 | 9 |
| 1920s | 0.0816 | 0.068 | 0.101 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1018 | 0.101 | 0.102 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1029 | 0.102 | 0.106 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1064 | 0.106 | 0.107 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1669 | 0.109 | 0.214 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1634 | 0.147 | 0.204 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1477 | 0.147 | 0.149 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3368 | 0.161 | 0.384 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4096 | 0.38 | 0.426 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3635 | 0.294 | 0.427 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3765 | 0.292 | 0.436 | 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 liberal democracy index in Zambia?
- Liberal democracy index in Zambia was 0.375 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.436 in 2022.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.068 in 1911.
- How does Zambia rank for liberal democracy index?
- Zambia ranks 83rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. 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 Liberal Democracy Index. 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
Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.