Free country in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Free country was 0 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Free country in Zimbabwe, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for free country in Zimbabwe is 0, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, free country in Zimbabwe peaked at 1 in 1978 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1972.
That places Zimbabwe 139th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Free country in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 1 | — |
| 1979 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 2002 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 1 | — |
| 2016 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 2018 | 1 | — |
| 2019 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 2021 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 0 | — |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 0 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 0 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.25 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 139 Afghanistan 0 compare
- 139 Algeria 0 compare
- 139 Angola 0 compare
- 139 Azerbaijan 0 compare
- 139 Bahrain 0 compare
- 139 Belarus 0 compare
- 139 Brunei 0 compare
- 139 Burkina Faso 0 compare
- 139 Burundi 0 compare
- 139 Cambodia 0 compare
- 139 Cameroon 0 compare
- 139 Central African Republic 0 compare
- 139 Chad 0
- 139 China 0
- 139 Congo 0 compare
- 139 Cuba 0
- 139 Democratic Republic of Congo 0
- 139 Djibouti 0 compare
- 139 Egypt 0 compare
- 139 Equatorial Guinea 0
- 139 Eritrea 0 compare
- 139 Eswatini 0 compare
- 139 Ethiopia 0 compare
- 139 Gabon 0 compare
- 139 Guinea 0 compare
- 139 Haiti 0 compare
- 139 Iran 0 compare
- 139 Iraq 0
- 139 Kazakhstan 0 compare
- 139 Kuwait 0 compare
- 139 Kyrgyzstan 0 compare
- 139 Laos 0 compare
- 139 Libya 0 compare
- 139 Mali 0 compare
- 139 Myanmar 0 compare
- 139 Nicaragua 0 compare
- 139 Niger 0 compare
- 139 North Korea 0
- 139 Oman 0 compare
- 139 Palestine 0 compare
- 139 Qatar 0 compare
- 139 Russia 0 compare
- 139 Rwanda 0
- 139 Saudi Arabia 0
- 139 Somalia 0
- 139 South Sudan 0
- 139 Sudan 0 compare
- 139 Syria 0 compare
- 139 Tajikistan 0 compare
- 139 Tanzania 0 compare
- 139 Thailand 0 compare
- 139 Turkey 0 compare
- 139 Turkmenistan 0 compare
- 139 Uganda 0 compare
- 139 United Arab Emirates 0 compare
- 139 Uzbekistan 0 compare
- 139 Venezuela 0 compare
- 139 Vietnam 0
- 139 Western Sahara 0 compare
- 139 Yemen 0 compare
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 free country in Zimbabwe?
- Free country in Zimbabwe was 0 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest free country recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 1978.
- What is the lowest free country recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1972.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for free country?
- Zimbabwe ranks 139th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is free country rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Free country. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The variable identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between free countries (score 2), partly free countries (score 1), and not free countries (score 0).