Judicial Checks on Government Index in Zambia
Zambia: Judicial Checks on Government Index was 0.71 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.71
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
82nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.856
in 2023
All-time low
0.537
in 1953
Years of data
115
1911–2025
Judicial Checks on Government Index in Zambia, 1911–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for judicial checks on government index in Zambia is 0.71, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, judicial checks on government index in Zambia peaked at 0.856 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.537, in 1953.
That places Zambia 82nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 115 years of available data.
Judicial Checks on Government Index in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 0.582 | — |
| 1912 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.582 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.65 | +11.7% |
| 1925 | 0.604 | -7.1% |
| 1926 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.604 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.537 | -11.1% |
| 1954 | 0.537 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.537 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.537 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.537 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.537 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.537 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.537 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.537 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.537 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.571 | +6.3% |
| 1964 | 0.562 | -1.6% |
| 1965 | 0.571 | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 0.571 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.591 | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 0.591 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.591 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.591 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.591 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.591 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.591 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.583 | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.729 | +25.0% |
| 1992 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.791 | +8.5% |
| 2003 | 0.791 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.791 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.821 | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 0.821 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.821 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.821 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.807 | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.794 | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 0.794 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.76 | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 0.76 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.737 | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 0.723 | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 0.614 | -15.1% |
| 2018 | 0.669 | +9.0% |
| 2019 | 0.65 | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 0.587 | -9.7% |
| 2021 | 0.676 | +15.2% |
| 2022 | 0.853 | +26.2% |
| 2023 | 0.856 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 0.719 | -16.0% |
| 2025 | 0.71 | -1.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.71 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.505, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.71 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2945, 2.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.582 | 0.582 | 0.582 | 9 |
| 1920s | 0.5998 | 0.582 | 0.65 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.604 | 0.604 | 0.604 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.604 | 0.604 | 0.604 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.5571 | 0.537 | 0.604 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.5659 | 0.537 | 0.591 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5862 | 0.583 | 0.591 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.583 | 0.583 | 0.583 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7144 | 0.583 | 0.729 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7922 | 0.729 | 0.821 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7308 | 0.614 | 0.807 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7335 | 0.587 | 0.856 | 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 judicial checks on government index in Zambia?
- Judicial checks on government index in Zambia was 0.71 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest judicial checks on government index recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.856 in 2023.
- What is the lowest judicial checks on government index recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.537 in 1953.
- How does Zambia rank for judicial checks on government index?
- Zambia ranks 82nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is judicial checks on government index rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. 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 Judicial Checks on Government 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
Central estimate of the extent to which the executive respects the constitution, complies with the judiciary and high courts, and higher and lower courts are independent.