Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was -0.8862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
-0.8862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Change on year
up 7.4%
World rank
176th
of 206 countries
All-time high
-0.0826 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 1996
All-time low
-1.62 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2008
Years of data
27
1996–2025

Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Zimbabwe, 1996–2025

-1.5-1-0.501996201020251996: -0.083 approx. -2.5 to +2.51998: -0.354 approx. -2.5 to +2.52000: -0.789 approx. -2.5 to +2.52002: -0.903 approx. -2.5 to +2.52003: -0.982 approx. -2.5 to +2.52004: -0.984 approx. -2.5 to +2.52005: -1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52006: -1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52007: -1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52008: -1.6 approx. -2.5 to +2.52009: -1.6 approx. -2.5 to +2.52010: -1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.52011: -1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52012: -1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52013: -1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52014: -1.2 approx. -2.5 to +2.52015: -0.921 approx. -2.5 to +2.52016: -0.893 approx. -2.5 to +2.52017: -0.935 approx. -2.5 to +2.52018: -1 approx. -2.5 to +2.52019: -1.1 approx. -2.5 to +2.52020: -1.1 approx. -2.5 to +2.52021: -1.1 approx. -2.5 to +2.52022: -1.1 approx. -2.5 to +2.52023: -1 approx. -2.5 to +2.52024: -0.957 approx. -2.5 to +2.52025: -0.886 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.

Analysis

Zimbabwe recorded -0.8862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 for government effectiveness - governance estimate in 2025.

The figure is up 7.4% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government effectiveness - governance estimate in Zimbabwe peaked at -0.0826 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1996 and was at its lowest, -1.62 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2008.

That places Zimbabwe 176th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.

Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Zimbabwe, year by year

Annual values for Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Zimbabwe, 1996 to 2025.
Year approx. -2.5 to +2.5 Change
1996 -0.0826 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 —
1998 -0.3537 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +328.3%
2000 -0.7892 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +123.1%
2002 -0.9028 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +14.4%
2003 -0.9824 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +8.8%
2004 -0.984 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.2%
2005 -1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +30.8%
2006 -1.42 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +10.5%
2007 -1.35 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -5.2%
2008 -1.62 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +20.4%
2009 -1.57 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -3.2%
2010 -1.46 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -6.8%
2011 -1.39 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -5.2%
2012 -1.36 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.9%
2013 -1.34 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.8%
2014 -1.21 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -9.6%
2015 -0.9215 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -23.7%
2016 -0.8927 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -3.1%
2017 -0.9349 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +4.7%
2018 -1.03 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +9.7%
2019 -1.06 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +3.4%
2020 -1.08 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +1.9%
2021 -1.07 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.2%
2022 -1.06 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.4%
2023 -1 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -5.7%
2024 -0.9572 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -4.6%
2025 -0.8862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -7.4%

Zimbabwe compared with similar countries

  • Zimbabwe's -0.8862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is -0.6398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Zimbabwe's -0.8862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.793 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) 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.

YearChange FromTo
1998 -328.3% -0.0826 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.3537 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
2000 -123.1% -0.3537 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.7892 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s -0.2181 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.3537 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.0826 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 2
2000s -1.21 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.62 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.7892 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 9
2010s -1.16 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.46 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.8927 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 10
2020s -1.01 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.08 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.8862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 6

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

  1. 173 Iran -0.857 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  2. 174 Niger -0.8645 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  3. 175 Madagascar -0.8734 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  4. 177 Nicaragua -0.8939 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  5. 178 Guinea -0.8988 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  6. 179 Nigeria -0.9134 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare

See the full ranking of 206 places →

More reference data data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is government effectiveness - governance estimate in Zimbabwe?
Government effectiveness - governance estimate in Zimbabwe was -0.8862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
What is the highest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Zimbabwe?
The highest recorded value was -0.0826 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1996.
What is the lowest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Zimbabwe?
The lowest recorded value was -1.62 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2008.
How does Zimbabwe rank for government effectiveness - governance estimate?
Zimbabwe ranks 176th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
Is government effectiveness - governance estimate rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
The figures come from The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), published as part of Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Zimbabwe. Statizoid, drawing on The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-effectiveness-governance-estimate-approx-2-5-to-2-5/zimbabwe/

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About this data

Indicator
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5)
Unit
approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Source
The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
206 places, 5,392 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

Government Effectiveness (GE) captures perceptions of the quality of public services, the civil service, policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of a government’s decisions. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.