Zimbabwe has been ranked lowly on an index measuring human freedoms across several parameters, putting the southern African nation in the same group with Sudan, Burundi and bottom-placed Syria.

The Human Freedom Index (HFI) by the Washington DC-based Cato Institute presents a measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. The 2023 annual index derived from data collected in 2021, uses 86 indicators of personal and economic freedom in areas including the rule of law, security, expression, legal system and property rights and freedom to trade internationally.

In terms of human freedom, Zimbabwe was ranked 153rd out of 165 nations with a 4.86 score out of 10. On personal freedom, it was ranked 121st with a score of 5.61 while on economic freedom it placed 164th with a score of 3.81.

Human freedom deteriorated severely in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the report noted. Most areas of freedom fell, including significant declines in the rule of law; freedom of movement, expression, and association and assembly; and freedom to trade. 

Zimbabwe is the worst performer in southern Africa, but performed better on a continental scale than Burundi, Algeria, Somalia, Egypt and Sudan.

Cape Verde, a Portuguese-speaking island nation of 580,000 people off the West African coast, is number one on the continent, but 32nd worldwide.  Seychelles, Africa's smallest nation of about 99,000 off the continent's east coast is the highest ranked in southern Africa on number 40 globally.  The continent's most developed country, South Africa is 73rd internationally, sharing that spot with Brazil.

“No demos are allowed,” a Zimbabwean political observer Rejoice Ngwenya commented, according to NewsDay on January 9.

“Opposition is intimidated, arrested and occasionally banished from parliament.  There's a near one-party state that captures all institutions associated with democracy. Nevermind a corrupt ruling class. This index is correct and it keeps our country isolated with a high credit risk. We can't attract honest capital and FDI, thus increasing our poverty.”

Another analyst Effie Ncube said the report could heighten public calls for President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government to institute reforms.

"It will also make the lifting of sanctions very difficult and further make economic revival a challenge. Hopefully, the government will see this as an opportunity to learn and change course," he noted.

Ruling Zanu-PF party, Farai Marapira told the independent daily that he had reservations on the index.

"Moreover, we don't know the criteria they used to arrive at such an assertion. As Zanu-PF we always face agenda setting and this is an example," he added.