Which has higher free and fair elections index, Nicaragua or Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe, at 0.171 against 0.137 in Nicaragua as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Nicaragua and Zimbabwe?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Free and Fair Elections Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Nicaragua vs Zimbabwe: Free and Fair Elections Index

Nicaragua

0.137

in 2025

Zimbabwe

0.171

in 2025

Nicaragua rank

139th

Zimbabwe rank

137th

Free and Fair Elections Index over time

Nicaragua
Zimbabwe

How they compare

Zimbabwe currently reports 0.171 against 0.137 in Nicaragua, a difference of 0.034.

That makes Zimbabwe's figure about 1.2 times Nicaragua's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Zimbabwe ahead.

Nicaragua ranks 139th and Zimbabwe ranks 137th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Nicaragua averaged higher in 3 and Zimbabwe in 10.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Nicaragua	Zimbabwe	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.0095	0.6961	0.6866	Zimbabwe
1910s	0.0186	0.6983	0.6797	Zimbabwe
1920s	0.0297	0.7032	0.6735	Zimbabwe
1930s	0.0477	0.7093	0.6616	Zimbabwe
1940s	0.0155	0.6955	0.68	Zimbabwe
1950s	0.0194	0.6945	0.6751	Zimbabwe
1960s	0.0206	0.6515	0.6309	Zimbabwe
1970s	0.0164	0.5404	0.524	Zimbabwe
1980s	0.238	0.2482	0.0102	Zimbabwe
1990s	0.6486	0.2344	0.4142	Nicaragua
2000s	0.544	0.0883	0.4557	Nicaragua
2010s	0.3109	0.1448	0.1661	Nicaragua
2020s	0.1622	0.1803	0.0182	Zimbabwe

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher free and fair elections index, Nicaragua or Zimbabwe?: Zimbabwe, at 0.171 against 0.137 in Nicaragua as of 2025.
What is the difference in free and fair elections index between Nicaragua and Zimbabwe?: 0.034, with Zimbabwe ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nicaragua and Zimbabwe?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Nicaragua and Zimbabwe rank globally for free and fair elections index?: Nicaragua ranks 139th and Zimbabwe ranks 137th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Free and Fair Elections Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Free and Fair Elections Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,402 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which registration fraud, systematic irregularities, government intimidation of the opposition, vote buying, and election violence are absent, and the election management body is autonomous and has enough staff and resources.