Democracy in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Democracy was 1 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Democracy in Zimbabwe, 1980–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy in Zimbabwe is 1, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in Zimbabwe peaked at 1 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1987.
Zimbabwe ranks 98th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.7 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 98 Afghanistan 1 compare
- 98 Algeria 1 compare
- 98 Angola 1 compare
- 98 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
- 98 Burundi 1 compare
- 98 Cambodia 1 compare
- 98 Cameroon 1 compare
- 98 Chad 1 compare
- 98 Comoros 1 compare
- 98 Congo 1 compare
- 98 Cote d'Ivoire 1 compare
- 98 Cuba 1 compare
- 98 Democratic Republic of Congo 1 compare
- 98 Djibouti 1 compare
- 98 Ecuador 1 compare
- 98 Egypt 1 compare
- 98 Ethiopia 1 compare
- 98 Fiji 1 compare
- 98 Gabon 1 compare
- 98 Gambia 1 compare
- 98 Guinea 1 compare
- 98 Haiti 1 compare
- 98 Jordan 1 compare
- 98 Libya 1 compare
- 98 Mali 1 compare
- 98 Mauritania 1 compare
- 98 Morocco 1 compare
- 98 Mozambique 1 compare
- 98 Niger 1 compare
- 98 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
- 98 Russia 1 compare
- 98 Rwanda 1 compare
- 98 Singapore 1 compare
- 98 Somalia 1 compare
- 98 South Sudan 1 compare
- 98 Sudan 1 compare
- 98 Suriname 1 compare
- 98 Tajikistan 1 compare
- 98 Tanzania 1 compare
- 98 Thailand 1 compare
- 98 Togo 1 compare
- 98 Turkey 1 compare
- 98 Uganda 1 compare
- 98 Ukraine 1 compare
- 98 United States 1 compare
- 98 Venezuela 1 compare
- 98 Yemen 1 compare
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.1903 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8086 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.5886 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.68 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.7408 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy in Zimbabwe?
- Democracy in Zimbabwe was 1 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 1980.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1987.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for democracy?
- Zimbabwe ranks 98th out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).