Clientelism Index in Zambia
Zambia: Clientelism Index was 0.488 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.488
Change on year
up 14.6%
World rank
89th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.651
in 2017
All-time low
0.194
in 1965
Years of data
115
1911–2025
Clientelism Index in Zambia, 1911–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, clientelism index in Zambia stood at 0.488.
That represents a change of up 14.6% on the previous year and down 21.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, clientelism index in Zambia peaked at 0.651 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.194, in 1965.
Zambia ranks 89th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 115 years of available data.
Clientelism Index in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 0.516 | — |
| 1912 | 0.565 | +9.5% |
| 1913 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.565 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.326 | -42.3% |
| 1927 | 0.326 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.326 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.327 | +0.3% |
| 1930 | 0.329 | +0.6% |
| 1931 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.337 | +2.4% |
| 1933 | 0.347 | +3.0% |
| 1934 | 0.347 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.345 | -0.6% |
| 1936 | 0.309 | -10.4% |
| 1937 | 0.309 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.31 | +0.3% |
| 1939 | 0.31 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.291 | -6.1% |
| 1941 | 0.286 | -1.7% |
| 1942 | 0.286 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.286 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.299 | +4.5% |
| 1945 | 0.299 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.299 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.317 | +6.0% |
| 1948 | 0.305 | -3.8% |
| 1949 | 0.305 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.305 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.304 | -0.3% |
| 1952 | 0.304 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.304 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.281 | -7.6% |
| 1955 | 0.28 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | 0.28 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.28 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.28 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.276 | -1.4% |
| 1960 | 0.275 | -0.4% |
| 1961 | 0.275 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.288 | +4.7% |
| 1963 | 0.351 | +21.9% |
| 1964 | 0.243 | -30.8% |
| 1965 | 0.194 | -20.2% |
| 1966 | 0.194 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.212 | +9.3% |
| 1968 | 0.213 | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 0.258 | +21.1% |
| 1970 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.298 | +15.5% |
| 1973 | 0.272 | -8.7% |
| 1974 | 0.302 | +11.0% |
| 1975 | 0.302 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.302 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.302 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.302 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.313 | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.396 | +26.5% |
| 1984 | 0.402 | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 0.402 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.402 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.402 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.404 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 0.409 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 0.409 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.427 | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 0.375 | -12.2% |
| 1993 | 0.375 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.375 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.378 | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 0.406 | +7.4% |
| 1997 | 0.463 | +14.0% |
| 1998 | 0.463 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.463 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.463 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.463 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.447 | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 0.447 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.447 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.495 | +10.7% |
| 2006 | 0.517 | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 0.533 | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 0.539 | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 0.55 | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 0.513 | -6.7% |
| 2011 | 0.528 | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.525 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 0.617 | +17.5% |
| 2014 | 0.617 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.618 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 0.602 | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 0.651 | +8.1% |
| 2018 | 0.589 | -9.5% |
| 2019 | 0.485 | -17.7% |
| 2020 | 0.569 | +17.3% |
| 2021 | 0.529 | -7.0% |
| 2022 | 0.467 | -11.7% |
| 2023 | 0.401 | -14.1% |
| 2024 | 0.426 | +6.2% |
| 2025 | 0.488 | +14.6% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.488 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.6325, 77% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.488 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6135, 80% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Clientelism Index in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | -42.3% | 0.565 | 0.326 |
| 1964 | -30.8% | 0.351 | 0.243 |
| 1983 | +26.5% | 0.313 | 0.396 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.5596 | 0.516 | 0.565 | 9 |
| 1920s | 0.4695 | 0.326 | 0.565 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.3272 | 0.309 | 0.347 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2973 | 0.286 | 0.317 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.2894 | 0.276 | 0.305 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2503 | 0.194 | 0.351 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2909 | 0.258 | 0.313 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3756 | 0.313 | 0.409 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4134 | 0.375 | 0.463 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4901 | 0.447 | 0.55 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5745 | 0.485 | 0.651 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.48 | 0.401 | 0.569 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2025)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 40.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 4 (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 483.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is clientelism index in Zambia?
- Clientelism index in Zambia was 0.488 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.651 in 2017.
- What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.194 in 1965.
- How does Zambia rank for clientelism index?
- Zambia ranks 89th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is clientelism index rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Clientelism Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 115 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Composite index measuring the extent to which politics hinge on clientelistic exchanges of targeted goods, jobs, or cash for electoral support; higher values denote more pervasive clientelism.