Civil Liberties Score in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Civil Liberties Score was 17 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Civil Liberties Score in Zimbabwe, 2003–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 17 for civil liberties score in 2025.
That represents a change of down 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties score in Zimbabwe peaked at 20 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 8, in 2008.
That places Zimbabwe 156th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Civil Liberties Score in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 14 | — |
| 2004 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10 | -28.6% |
| 2006 | 9 | -10.0% |
| 2007 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8 | -11.1% |
| 2009 | 10 | +25.0% |
| 2010 | 13 | +30.0% |
| 2011 | 12 | -7.7% |
| 2012 | 14 | +16.7% |
| 2013 | 16 | +14.3% |
| 2014 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 20 | +25.0% |
| 2016 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 19 | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 17 | -10.5% |
| 2020 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 17 | +0.0% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 17 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.5, 67% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 17 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24, 71% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Civil Liberties Score in Zimbabwe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +30.0% | 10 | 13 |
| 2005 | -28.6% | 14 | 10 |
| 2009 | +25.0% | 8 | 10 |
| 2015 | +25.0% | 16 | 20 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.57 | 8 | 14 | 7 |
| 2010s | 16.7 | 12 | 20 | 10 |
| 2020s | 17 | 17 | 17 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties score in Zimbabwe?
- Civil liberties score in Zimbabwe was 17 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 20 in 2015.
- What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 in 2008.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for civil liberties score?
- Zimbabwe ranks 156th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties score rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Liberties Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The variable identifies the fine-grained extent of freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Higher scores indicate more liberties.