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Freedom on the Net 2025

Zambia

Partly Free
62
100
A Obstacles to Access 16 25
B Limits on Content 27 35
C Violations of User Rights 19 40
Last Year's Score & Status
62 100 Partly Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
Zambia

header1 Key Developments, June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025

Internet freedom in Zambia remained tenuous during the coverage period. Internet access and mobile penetration increased slightly, but the passage of the Cyber Crimes Act and the Cyber Security Act broadened authorities’ surveillance powers and included criminal penalties for online speech. Authorities continued to arrest and imprison internet users who criticized the president online, contributing to an environment of self-censorship.

  • In July 2024, four people were arrested for demonstrating against the Zesco electric company’s poor management of electricity supplies and resulting power outages in Lusaka.1 The protests were organized in large part online under the hashtag #FixZesco (B8).
  • The Cyber Crimes Act, which was enacted in April 2025, criminalized certain forms of online speech including spreading false information, and contained broadly worded clauses that allow punishment of speech intended to harm someone’s reputation. If found guilty of these acts, internet users could face up to two years in prison, a steep fine, or both.2 In January 2025, three people were arrested and charged under the Cyber Crimes Act after allegedly spreading false statements about President Hakainde Hichilema’s health.3 The arrests came as some observers had expressed concern about growing intolerance of political dissent as the government prepares for general elections in 2026. (C2 and C3).4
  • In May 2025, former parliamentarian Munir Zulu was sentenced to 18 months in prison with hard labor for a seditious social media post from 2023, in which he claimed that President Hichilema planned to dissolve the parliament and hold early elections (C3).5
  • The Cyber Security Act, another law enacted in April 2025, gave authorities disproportionate surveillance powers and required internet service providers to install software and hardware that can support the real-time interception of communications (C5 and C6).6

header2 Political Overview

Zambia’s political system features regular multiparty elections, and some civil liberties are respected. While Zambia experiences democratic transfers of power, opposition parties have faced onerous legal and practical obstacles to fair competition. Restrictive laws that narrow political space and online speech remain in force.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.

A Obstacles to Access

A1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? 3.003 6.006

Score Change: The score improved from 2 to 3 because of increased mobile internet penetration rates; 92 percent of Zambians have some form of mobile connectivity,1 though power outages continued to impact service in certain areas.2

A2 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? 1.001 3.003
A3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? 5.005 6.006
A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 5.005 6.006
A5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? 2.002 4.004

B Limits on Content

B1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 6.006 6.006
B2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 3.003 4.004
B3 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? 3.003 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 2.002 4.004
B5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? 3.003 4.004
B6 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? 2.002 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 3.003 4.004
B8 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? 5.005 6.006

C Violations of User Rights

C1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? 2.002 6.006
C2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 1.001 4.004
C3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 3.003 6.006
C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 3.003 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? 2.002 6.006

Score Change: The score declined from 3 to 2 because the new Cyber Crimes Act and Cyber Security Act give authorities broad surveillance powers.1

C6 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? 2.002 6.006
C7 1.00-5.00 pts0-5 pts
Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? 3.003 5.005
C8 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 3.003 3.003

On Zambia

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Country Facts

  • Population

    20,020,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    53 100 partly free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    62 100 partly free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Partly Free

  • Networks Restricted

    No

  • Websites Blocked

    No

  • Pro-government Commentators

    No

  • Users Arrested

    Yes