Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was -1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rule of Law - Governance estimate in Zimbabwe, 1996–2025
Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.
Analysis
In 2025, rule of law - governance estimate in Zimbabwe stood at -1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law - governance estimate in Zimbabwe peaked at -0.7886 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1996 and was at its lowest, -1.92 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2008.
Zimbabwe ranks 182nd of 208 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | -0.7886 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | — |
| 1998 | -1.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +29.6% |
| 2000 | -1.63 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +59.2% |
| 2002 | -1.91 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +17.4% |
| 2003 | -1.87 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -2.1% |
| 2004 | -1.74 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -6.9% |
| 2005 | -1.89 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +8.4% |
| 2006 | -1.9 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | -1.89 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.5% |
| 2008 | -1.92 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.6% |
| 2009 | -1.85 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -3.6% |
| 2010 | -1.81 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -2.5% |
| 2011 | -1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.2% |
| 2012 | -1.65 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -8.6% |
| 2013 | -1.68 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | -1.63 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -3.0% |
| 2015 | -1.41 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -13.4% |
| 2016 | -1.43 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | -1.38 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -3.9% |
| 2018 | -1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -5.9% |
| 2019 | -1.28 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.1% |
| 2020 | -1.25 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -2.5% |
| 2021 | -1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +3.8% |
| 2022 | -1.31 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | -1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.5% |
| 2024 | -1.23 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -4.8% |
| 2025 | -1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.0% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's -1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is -0.6884 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's -1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.8846 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) 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 | -59.2% | -1.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.63 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 |
| 1998 | -29.6% | -0.7886 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -0.9052 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.7886 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | -1.84 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.92 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.63 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 9 |
| 2010s | -1.54 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.81 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.28 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.27 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.31 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.1903 (2026)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.2726 (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8086 (2026)
- Country level monthly temperature anomalies -0.5886 (2026)
- 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)
- Urban area long term, annual growth rate 1.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban area long term, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban area long term, per capita 0.0002 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rule of law - governance estimate in Zimbabwe?
- Rule of law - governance estimate in Zimbabwe was -1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
- What is the highest rule of law - governance estimate recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was -0.7886 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1996.
- What is the lowest rule of law - governance estimate recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.92 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2008.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for rule of law - governance estimate?
- Zimbabwe ranks 182nd out of 208 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law - governance estimate rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), published as part of Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Rule of Law (RL) captures perceptions of the extent to which agents respect and follow the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police, courts, and the likelihood of crime and violence. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.