Botswana vs Zambia: Democracy
Botswana
6
in 2025
Zambia
6
in 2025
Botswana rank
78th
Zambia rank
78th
Democracy over time
- Botswana
- Zambia
How they compare
Botswana currently reports 6 against 6 in Zambia, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 115 shared years of data; in 1911 it was Zambia ahead.
Botswana ranks 78th and Zambia ranks 78th of 198 countries.
Across the 12 decades both report, Botswana averaged higher in 7 and Zambia in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | Zambia |
| 1930s | 0 | 2 | 2 | Zambia |
| 1940s | 0 | 2 | 2 | Zambia |
| 1950s | 0 | 2 | 2 | Zambia |
| 1960s | 3.4 | 2.6 | 0.8 | Botswana |
| 1970s | 6 | 1.4 | 4.6 | Botswana |
| 1980s | 6.2 | 1 | 5.2 | Botswana |
| 1990s | 7 | 5.5 | 1.5 | Botswana |
| 2000s | 7 | 6 | 1 | Botswana |
| 2010s | 6.3 | 4.8 | 1.5 | Botswana |
| 2020s | 6 | 5.5 | 0.5 | Botswana |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher democracy, Botswana or Zambia?
- Botswana, at 6 against 6 in Zambia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in democracy between Botswana and Zambia?
- 0, with Botswana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and Zambia?
- 115 years are reported by both, from 1911 to 2025.
- How do Botswana and Zambia rank globally for democracy?
- Botswana ranks 78th and Zambia ranks 78th of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies (score 0), one-party autocracies (score 1), multi-party autocracies without elected executive (score 2), multi-party autocracies (score 3), exclusive democracies (score 4), male democracies (score 5), electoral democracies (score 6), and full democracies (score 7).