Liberal democracy in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Liberal democracy was 1 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
87th
of 176 countries
All-time high
1
in 1923
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Liberal democracy in Zimbabwe, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 1 for liberal democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy in Zimbabwe peaked at 1 in 1923 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Zimbabwe 87th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Liberal democracy in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 1 | — |
| 1924 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1979 | 1 | — |
| 1980 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1 | +0.0% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 1 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 1 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.7 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 87 Albania 1 compare
- 87 Algeria 1 compare
- 87 Angola 1 compare
- 87 Azerbaijan 1 compare
- 87 Benin 1 compare
- 87 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
- 87 Burundi 1 compare
- 87 Cambodia 1 compare
- 87 Cameroon 1 compare
- 87 Central African Republic 1 compare
- 87 Chad 1 compare
- 87 Comoros 1 compare
- 87 Congo 1 compare
- 87 Cote d'Ivoire 1 compare
- 87 Democratic Republic of Congo 1 compare
- 87 Djibouti 1 compare
- 87 Egypt 1 compare
- 87 El Salvador 1 compare
- 87 Equatorial Guinea 1 compare
- 87 Ethiopia 1 compare
- 87 Gabon 1 compare
- 87 Georgia 1 compare
- 87 Hungary 1 compare
- 87 India 1 compare
- 87 Indonesia 1 compare
- 87 Iran 1 compare
- 87 Iraq 1 compare
- 87 Kazakhstan 1 compare
- 87 Kyrgyzstan 1 compare
- 87 Lebanon 1 compare
- 87 Mauritania 1 compare
- 87 Mexico 1 compare
- 87 Mozambique 1 compare
- 87 Nicaragua 1 compare
- 87 Pakistan 1 compare
- 87 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
- 87 Philippines 1 compare
- 87 Russia 1 compare
- 87 Rwanda 1 compare
- 87 Serbia 1 compare
- 87 Sierra Leone 1 compare
- 87 Singapore 1 compare
- 87 Tajikistan 1 compare
- 87 Tanzania 1 compare
- 87 Thailand 1 compare
- 87 Togo 1 compare
- 87 Tunisia 1 compare
- 87 Turkey 1 compare
- 87 Turkmenistan 1 compare
- 87 Uganda 1 compare
- 87 Ukraine 1 compare
- 87 Uzbekistan 1 compare
- 87 Venezuela 1 compare
- 87 Zambia 1 compare
More social development data for Zimbabwe
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,570 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,632 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,632 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0005 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 in Zimbabwe?
- Liberal democracy in Zimbabwe was 1 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 1923.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for liberal democracy?
- Zimbabwe ranks 87th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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. 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
Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.