Malawi vs Zambia: Democracy

Malawi
6
in 2025
Zambia
6
in 2025
Malawi rank
78th
Zambia rank
78th

Democracy over time

  • Malawi
  • Zambia
0246189119582025

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 6 against 6 in Zambia, a difference of 0.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 115 shared years of data; in 1911 it was Zambia ahead.

Malawi ranks 78th and Zambia ranks 78th of 197 countries.

Across the 12 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 2 and Zambia in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malawi Zambia Difference Ahead
1910s 0 0 0
1920s 0 0.8 0.8 Zambia
1930s 0 2 2 Zambia
1940s 0 2 2 Zambia
1950s 0 2 2 Zambia
1960s 1.2 2.6 1.4 Zambia
1970s 1 1.4 0.4 Zambia
1980s 1 1 0
1990s 4 5.5 1.5 Zambia
2000s 6 6 0
2010s 6 4.8 1.2 Malawi
2020s 6 5.5 0.5 Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher democracy, Malawi or Zambia?
Malawi, at 6 against 6 in Zambia as of 2025.
What is the difference in democracy between Malawi and Zambia?
0, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Zambia?
115 years are reported by both, from 1911 to 2025.
How do Malawi and Zambia rank globally for democracy?
Malawi ranks 78th and Zambia ranks 78th of 197 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Democracy
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies (score 0), one-party autocracies (score 1), multi-party autocracies without elected executive (score 2), multi-party autocracies (score 3), exclusive democracies (score 4), male democracies (score 5), electoral democracies (score 6), and full democracies (score 7).