Statizoid

Political Civil Liberties Index in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Political Civil Liberties Index was 0.349 in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
0.349
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
135th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.597
in 1981
All-time low
0.163
in 1970
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Political Civil Liberties Index in Zimbabwe, 1900–2025

0.20.30.40.50.6190019622025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for political civil liberties index in Zimbabwe is 0.349, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 18.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, political civil liberties index in Zimbabwe peaked at 0.597 in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.163, in 1970.

Zimbabwe ranks 135th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Political Civil Liberties Index in Zimbabwe, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.411 —
1901 0.411 +0.0%
1902 0.411 +0.0%
1903 0.411 +0.0%
1904 0.411 +0.0%
1905 0.411 +0.0%
1906 0.411 +0.0%
1907 0.411 +0.0%
1908 0.411 +0.0%
1909 0.411 +0.0%
1910 0.411 +0.0%
1911 0.411 +0.0%
1912 0.411 +0.0%
1913 0.411 +0.0%
1914 0.411 +0.0%
1915 0.411 +0.0%
1916 0.411 +0.0%
1917 0.411 +0.0%
1918 0.411 +0.0%
1919 0.434 +5.6%
1920 0.41 -5.5%
1921 0.41 +0.0%
1922 0.41 +0.0%
1923 0.462 +12.7%
1924 0.462 +0.0%
1925 0.462 +0.0%
1926 0.462 +0.0%
1927 0.462 +0.0%
1928 0.462 +0.0%
1929 0.462 +0.0%
1930 0.462 +0.0%
1931 0.462 +0.0%
1932 0.462 +0.0%
1933 0.462 +0.0%
1934 0.462 +0.0%
1935 0.462 +0.0%
1936 0.462 +0.0%
1937 0.462 +0.0%
1938 0.462 +0.0%
1939 0.462 +0.0%
1940 0.462 +0.0%
1941 0.462 +0.0%
1942 0.462 +0.0%
1943 0.462 +0.0%
1944 0.462 +0.0%
1945 0.413 -10.6%
1946 0.413 +0.0%
1947 0.413 +0.0%
1948 0.413 +0.0%
1949 0.413 +0.0%
1950 0.413 +0.0%
1951 0.413 +0.0%
1952 0.413 +0.0%
1953 0.437 +5.8%
1954 0.437 +0.0%
1955 0.437 +0.0%
1956 0.437 +0.0%
1957 0.406 -7.1%
1958 0.384 -5.4%
1959 0.323 -15.9%
1960 0.33 +2.2%
1961 0.33 +0.0%
1962 0.33 +0.0%
1963 0.33 +0.0%
1964 0.232 -29.7%
1965 0.213 -8.2%
1966 0.175 -17.8%
1967 0.175 +0.0%
1968 0.175 +0.0%
1969 0.175 +0.0%
1970 0.163 -6.9%
1971 0.163 +0.0%
1972 0.163 +0.0%
1973 0.163 +0.0%
1974 0.163 +0.0%
1975 0.163 +0.0%
1976 0.163 +0.0%
1977 0.163 +0.0%
1978 0.163 +0.0%
1979 0.166 +1.8%
1980 0.511 +207.8%
1981 0.597 +16.8%
1982 0.586 -1.8%
1983 0.586 +0.0%
1984 0.566 -3.4%
1985 0.566 +0.0%
1986 0.574 +1.4%
1987 0.569 -0.9%
1988 0.58 +1.9%
1989 0.59 +1.7%
1990 0.532 -9.8%
1991 0.543 +2.1%
1992 0.543 +0.0%
1993 0.543 +0.0%
1994 0.543 +0.0%
1995 0.543 +0.0%
1996 0.547 +0.7%
1997 0.547 +0.0%
1998 0.53 -3.1%
1999 0.495 -6.6%
2000 0.408 -17.6%
2001 0.384 -5.9%
2002 0.383 -0.3%
2003 0.383 +0.0%
2004 0.358 -6.5%
2005 0.361 +0.8%
2006 0.355 -1.7%
2007 0.355 +0.0%
2008 0.36 +1.4%
2009 0.384 +6.7%
2010 0.424 +10.4%
2011 0.429 +1.2%
2012 0.429 +0.0%
2013 0.445 +3.7%
2014 0.428 -3.8%
2015 0.428 +0.0%
2016 0.406 -5.1%
2017 0.43 +5.9%
2018 0.467 +8.6%
2019 0.426 -8.8%
2020 0.417 -2.1%
2021 0.408 -2.2%
2022 0.408 +0.0%
2023 0.414 +1.5%
2024 0.358 -13.5%
2025 0.349 -2.5%

Zimbabwe compared with similar countries

  • Zimbabwe's 0.349 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.5695, 61% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Zimbabwe's 0.349 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5665, 62% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.411 0.411 0.411 10
1910s 0.4133 0.411 0.434 10
1920s 0.4464 0.41 0.462 10
1930s 0.462 0.462 0.462 10
1940s 0.4375 0.413 0.462 10
1950s 0.41 0.323 0.437 10
1960s 0.2465 0.175 0.33 10
1970s 0.1633 0.163 0.166 10
1980s 0.5725 0.511 0.597 10
1990s 0.5366 0.495 0.547 10
2000s 0.3731 0.355 0.408 10
2010s 0.4312 0.406 0.467 10
2020s 0.3923 0.349 0.417 6

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

  1. 132 Uganda 0.368 compare
  2. 133 Kuwait 0.364 compare
  3. 134 Kazakhstan 0.362 compare
  4. 136 Burkina Faso 0.346 compare
  5. 137 Algeria 0.339 compare
  6. 138 Ethiopia 0.336 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is political civil liberties index in Zimbabwe?
Political civil liberties index in Zimbabwe was 0.349 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political civil liberties index recorded in Zimbabwe?
The highest recorded value was 0.597 in 1981.
What is the lowest political civil liberties index recorded in Zimbabwe?
The lowest recorded value was 0.163 in 1970.
How does Zimbabwe rank for political civil liberties index?
Zimbabwe ranks 135th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is political civil liberties index rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Political Civil Liberties Index in Zimbabwe. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-civil-liberties-index/zimbabwe/

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About this data

Indicator
Political Civil Liberties Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,211 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which people enjoy the freedoms of expression and association.