Rule of Law in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Rule of Law was -1.75 in 2011. ▼ Falling
Rule of Law in Zimbabwe, 1996–2011
Source: World Bank Institute.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rule of law in Zimbabwe is -1.75, measured in 2011.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law in Zimbabwe peaked at -0.7103 in 1998 and was at its lowest, -1.82, in 2009.
That places Zimbabwe 52nd out of 53 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Rule of Law in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | -0.82 | — |
| 1998 | -0.7103 | -13.4% |
| 2000 | -1.33 | +87.5% |
| 2002 | -1.59 | +19.5% |
| 2003 | -1.68 | +5.7% |
| 2004 | -1.76 | +4.6% |
| 2005 | -1.77 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | -1.7 | -3.9% |
| 2007 | -1.76 | +3.9% |
| 2008 | -1.75 | -1.0% |
| 2009 | -1.82 | +4.2% |
| 2010 | -1.79 | -1.6% |
| 2011 | -1.75 | -2.2% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's -1.75 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is -0.7406, 2.4× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's -1.75 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.7357, 2.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rule of Law 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | -87.5% | -0.7103 | -1.33 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -0.7652 | -0.82 | -0.7103 | 2 |
| 2000s | -1.68 | -1.82 | -1.33 | 9 |
| 2010s | -1.77 | -1.79 | -1.75 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
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)
- Political opposition, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament and government, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rule of law in Zimbabwe?
- Rule of law in Zimbabwe was -1.75 in 2011, according to World Bank Institute.
- What is the highest rule of law recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was -0.7103 in 1998.
- What is the lowest rule of law recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.82 in 2009.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for rule of law?
- Zimbabwe ranks 52nd out of 53 countries with data for 2011.
- Is rule of law rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Institute, published as part of Rule of Law (estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Rule of law measures the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, in particular the quality of contract enforcement, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. Further documentation and research using the World Governance Indicators (WGI) is available at www.worldbank.org/wbi/governance.