Rule of Law Index in Zambia
Zambia: Rule of Law Index was 0.654 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.654
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
77th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.827
in 2007
All-time low
0.457
in 2020
Years of data
115
1911–2025
Rule of Law Index in Zambia, 1911–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 0.654 for rule of law index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.1% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law index in Zambia peaked at 0.827 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.457, in 2020.
Zambia ranks 77th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 115 years of available data.
Rule of Law Index in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 0.768 | — |
| 1912 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.758 | -1.3% |
| 1924 | 0.742 | -2.1% |
| 1925 | 0.732 | -1.3% |
| 1926 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.755 | +3.1% |
| 1953 | 0.759 | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 0.759 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.759 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.759 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.759 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.759 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.759 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.759 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.759 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.759 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.774 | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 0.669 | -13.6% |
| 1965 | 0.696 | +4.0% |
| 1966 | 0.696 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.699 | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.691 | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 0.683 | -1.2% |
| 1975 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.682 | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 0.647 | -5.1% |
| 1992 | 0.607 | -6.2% |
| 1993 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.61 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 0.61 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.61 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.645 | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 0.768 | +19.1% |
| 2003 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.768 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.824 | +7.3% |
| 2006 | 0.824 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.827 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 0.714 | -13.7% |
| 2009 | 0.692 | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 0.699 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.722 | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 0.815 | +12.9% |
| 2013 | 0.723 | -11.3% |
| 2014 | 0.723 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.691 | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 0.646 | -6.5% |
| 2017 | 0.585 | -9.4% |
| 2018 | 0.541 | -7.5% |
| 2019 | 0.493 | -8.9% |
| 2020 | 0.457 | -7.3% |
| 2021 | 0.549 | +20.1% |
| 2022 | 0.762 | +38.8% |
| 2023 | 0.791 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 0.682 | -13.8% |
| 2025 | 0.654 | -4.1% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.654 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3495, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.654 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3685, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.768 | 0.768 | 0.768 | 9 |
| 1920s | 0.7464 | 0.732 | 0.768 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.732 | 0.732 | 0.732 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.732 | 0.732 | 0.732 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.7532 | 0.732 | 0.759 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.7209 | 0.669 | 0.774 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.6886 | 0.683 | 0.699 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.683 | 0.683 | 0.683 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6191 | 0.607 | 0.682 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.744 | 0.61 | 0.827 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6638 | 0.493 | 0.815 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6492 | 0.457 | 0.791 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 75 Solomon Islands 0.669 compare
- 76 Nepal 0.662 compare
- 78 Kenya 0.64 compare
- 79 United Arab Emirates 0.638 compare
- 80 Oman 0.613 compare
More reference data data for Zambia
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (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 (2025)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 40.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rule of law index in Zambia?
- Rule of law index in Zambia was 0.654 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.827 in 2007.
- What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.457 in 2020.
- How does Zambia rank for rule of law index?
- Zambia ranks 77th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law index rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Rule of Law Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 115 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which the government complies with the law, courts are independent, laws transparent, justice accessible, corruption absent, and the bureaucracy is impartial.