What is varieties of democracy in Zimbabwe?

Varieties of democracy in Zimbabwe was 0.268 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Zimbabwe?

The highest recorded value was 0.33 in 1981.

What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Zimbabwe?

The lowest recorded value was 0.056 in 1978.

How does Zimbabwe rank for varieties of democracy?

Zimbabwe ranks 122nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Zimbabwe?

Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. 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 Varieties of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Varieties of democracy in Zimbabwe

Name: Varieties of democracy in Zimbabwe
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Zimbabwe: Varieties of democracy was 0.268 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.268

Change on year

down 1.5%

World rank

122nd

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.33

in 1981

All-time low

0.056

in 1978

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Varieties of democracy in Zimbabwe, 1900–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for varieties of democracy in Zimbabwe is 0.268, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Zimbabwe peaked at 0.33 in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.056, in 1978.

That places Zimbabwe 122nd 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.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.183	0.182	0.184	10
1910s	0.1846	0.183	0.193	10
1920s	0.238	0.183	0.27	10
1930s	0.2681	0.268	0.269	10
1940s	0.2634	0.258	0.268	10
1950s	0.2506	0.228	0.258	10
1960s	0.2132	0.197	0.233	10
1970s	0.1772	0.056	0.197	10
1980s	0.3063	0.217	0.33	10
1990s	0.3093	0.303	0.313	10
2000s	0.262	0.251	0.284	10
2010s	0.2905	0.265	0.313	10
2020s	0.2873	0.268	0.299	6

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

120 Jordan 0.282 compare
121 Mozambique 0.279 compare
123 Algeria 0.265 compare
124 Cameroon 0.26 compare
125 Kazakhstan 0.259 compare
125 Morocco 0.259 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)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.147 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.381 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (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 varieties of democracy in Zimbabwe?: Varieties of democracy in Zimbabwe was 0.268 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Zimbabwe?: The highest recorded value was 0.33 in 1981.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Zimbabwe?: The lowest recorded value was 0.056 in 1978.
How does Zimbabwe rank for varieties of democracy?: Zimbabwe ranks 122nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Zimbabwe?: Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. 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 Varieties of 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

Indicator: Varieties of democracy
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.