Physical Integrity Rights Score in Zambia
Zambia: Physical Integrity Rights Score was 0.0348 in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Physical Integrity Rights Score in Zambia, 1964–2019
Source: Fariss et al. (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2019, physical integrity rights score in Zambia stood at 0.0348.
The figure is down 40.8% on the previous year and up 124.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, physical integrity rights score in Zambia peaked at 0.1153 in 2017 and was at its lowest, -0.7422, in 1981.
That places Zambia 130th out of 193 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Physical Integrity Rights Score in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | -0.0064 | — |
| 1965 | -0.009 | +41.0% |
| 1966 | 0.0019 | -121.2% |
| 1967 | 0.0009 | -55.1% |
| 1968 | -0.0054 | -738.2% |
| 1969 | -0.0067 | +23.5% |
| 1970 | 0.0054 | -180.5% |
| 1971 | -0.0138 | -354.5% |
| 1972 | -0.0119 | -13.5% |
| 1973 | -0.0032 | -73.3% |
| 1974 | -0.0441 | +1286.2% |
| 1975 | -0.1288 | +192.0% |
| 1976 | -0.2199 | +70.8% |
| 1977 | -0.3133 | +42.4% |
| 1978 | -0.4134 | +32.0% |
| 1979 | -0.5344 | +29.3% |
| 1980 | -0.6776 | +26.8% |
| 1981 | -0.7422 | +9.5% |
| 1982 | -0.6711 | -9.6% |
| 1983 | -0.4851 | -27.7% |
| 1984 | -0.2926 | -39.7% |
| 1985 | -0.2603 | -11.1% |
| 1986 | -0.3984 | +53.1% |
| 1987 | -0.3999 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | -0.4174 | +4.4% |
| 1989 | -0.3954 | -5.3% |
| 1990 | -0.4093 | +3.5% |
| 1991 | -0.1912 | -53.3% |
| 1992 | -0.2062 | +7.8% |
| 1993 | -0.3637 | +76.4% |
| 1994 | -0.2889 | -20.6% |
| 1995 | -0.3086 | +6.8% |
| 1996 | -0.4452 | +44.3% |
| 1997 | -0.4868 | +9.3% |
| 1998 | -0.4002 | -17.8% |
| 1999 | -0.0727 | -81.8% |
| 2000 | -0.0726 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | -0.1758 | +142.3% |
| 2002 | -0.1982 | +12.8% |
| 2003 | -0.1719 | -13.3% |
| 2004 | -0.1775 | +3.3% |
| 2005 | -0.1512 | -14.8% |
| 2006 | -0.0903 | -40.2% |
| 2007 | -0.0045 | -95.0% |
| 2008 | -0.0809 | +1700.3% |
| 2009 | -0.142 | +75.6% |
| 2010 | -0.2233 | +57.2% |
| 2011 | -0.1386 | -37.9% |
| 2012 | -0.0909 | -34.4% |
| 2013 | -0.0535 | -41.2% |
| 2014 | 0.0196 | -136.6% |
| 2015 | 0.0961 | +391.2% |
| 2016 | 0.0805 | -16.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1153 | +43.2% |
| 2018 | 0.0587 | -49.1% |
| 2019 | 0.0348 | -40.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.0348 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0498, 70% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.0348 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0105, 3.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Physical Integrity Rights Score 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | -1700.3% | -0.0045 | -0.0809 |
| 1974 | -1286.2% | -0.0032 | -0.0441 |
| 1968 | -738.2% | 0.0009 | -0.0054 |
| 2015 | +391.2% | 0.0196 | 0.0961 |
| 1971 | -354.5% | 0.0054 | -0.0138 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -0.0041 | -0.009 | 0.0019 | 6 |
| 1970s | -0.1677 | -0.5344 | 0.0054 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.474 | -0.7422 | -0.2603 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.3173 | -0.4868 | -0.0727 | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.1265 | -0.1982 | -0.0045 | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.0101 | -0.2233 | 0.1153 | 10 |
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 physical integrity rights score in Zambia?
- Physical integrity rights score in Zambia was 0.0348 in 2019, according to Fariss et al. (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest physical integrity rights score recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1153 in 2017.
- What is the lowest physical integrity rights score recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.7422 in 1981.
- How does Zambia rank for physical integrity rights score?
- Zambia ranks 130th out of 193 countries with data for 2019.
- Is physical integrity rights score rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 124.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Fariss et al. (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Physical Integrity Rights Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The score captures the extent to which citizens are protected from government killings, torture, political imprisonments, extrajudicial executions, mass killings and disappearances. Large positive scores mean abuses are rare relative to other countries and years, large negative scores that abuses are relatively widespread.