What is liberal democracy index in Zimbabwe?

Liberal democracy index in Zimbabwe was 0.147 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Zimbabwe?

The highest recorded value was 0.229 in 1981.

What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Zimbabwe?

The lowest recorded value was 0.094 in 1978.

How does Zimbabwe rank for liberal democracy index?

Zimbabwe ranks 120th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Zimbabwe?

Over the last ten years it is down 30.7%. 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 Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Liberal Democracy Index in Zimbabwe

Name: Liberal Democracy Index in Zimbabwe
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Zimbabwe: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.147 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.147

Change on year

down 5.8%

World rank

120th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.229

in 1981

All-time low

0.094

in 1978

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Liberal Democracy Index in Zimbabwe, 1900–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, liberal democracy index in Zimbabwe stood at 0.147.

That represents a change of down 5.8% on the previous year and down 30.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in Zimbabwe peaked at 0.229 in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.094, in 1978.

Zimbabwe ranks 120th 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	0.1352	0.135	0.136	10
1910s	0.1353	0.135	0.138	10
1920s	0.1648	0.134	0.18	10
1930s	0.18	0.18	0.18	10
1940s	0.1798	0.179	0.18	10
1950s	0.182	0.175	0.186	10
1960s	0.1456	0.121	0.174	10
1970s	0.1172	0.094	0.121	10
1980s	0.22	0.185	0.229	10
1990s	0.2258	0.222	0.229	10
2000s	0.1614	0.149	0.187	10
2010s	0.2083	0.2	0.225	10
2020s	0.175	0.147	0.194	6

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

117 Angola 0.163 compare
118 Togo 0.157 compare
119 Mali 0.15 compare
121 Hong Kong 0.142 compare
122 Oman 0.14 compare
123 Comoros 0.132 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

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)
Liberal democracy 1 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.381 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.202 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.381 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.268 (2025)

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy index in Zimbabwe?: Liberal democracy index in Zimbabwe was 0.147 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Zimbabwe?: The highest recorded value was 0.229 in 1981.
What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Zimbabwe?: The lowest recorded value was 0.094 in 1978.
How does Zimbabwe rank for liberal democracy index?: Zimbabwe ranks 120th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Zimbabwe?: Over the last ten years it is down 30.7%. 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 Liberal Democracy Index. 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: Liberal Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 28,671 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.