Botswana vs Zambia: Free and fair elections
Botswana
1
in 2025
Zambia
1
in 2025
Botswana rank
1st
Zambia rank
1st
Free and fair elections over time
- Botswana
- Zambia
How they compare
Botswana currently reports 1 against 1 in Zambia, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Botswana ahead.
Botswana ranks 1st and Zambia ranks 1st of 172 countries.
Botswana has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1 | 0.6667 | 0.3333 | Botswana |
| 1970s | 1 | 0.3 | 0.7 | Botswana |
| 1980s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Botswana |
| 1990s | 1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | Botswana |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | Botswana |
| 2020s | 1 | 0.8333 | 0.1667 | Botswana |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher free and fair elections, Botswana or Zambia?
- Botswana, at 1 against 1 in Zambia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in free and fair elections between Botswana and Zambia?
- 0, with Botswana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and Zambia?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2025.
- How do Botswana and Zambia rank globally for free and fair elections?
- Botswana ranks 1st and Zambia ranks 1st of 172 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Free and fair elections. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of whether national elections were free and fair or not.