WorldRisk

Which passport do you hold?

Risk to a traveller depends on their nationality. A country that sanctions your destination, or is sanctioned by it, changes how you are treated on arrival. Choosing here adjusts every score on the site.

We hold travel advice written for four nationalities so far. Selecting anything else shows the neutral baseline, and every page says so where it applies rather than presenting it as an assessment made for you.

Kept in your browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere, and you can change it at any time from the header.

All countries

Zimbabwe

60High60 of 100, High band, 50 to 74good confidence(7/7 dimensions)
What this score means
Extreme75 to 100
Severe and systematic. Device search, interception and detention over online activity are documented rather than theoretical. Reconsider what you carry and what you say.
High50 to 74
Substantial and consistently evidenced measures. Device inspection, monitored networks or restricted services should be expected rather than treated as unlikely.
Caution25 to 49
Some risk, and manageable with precautions. Measures are evidenced but are narrow, inconsistently applied, or the picture is mixed.
Low0 to 24
Ordinary precautions. No systematic device search, network restriction or prosecution of visitors for online speech is evidenced.

Government travel advice is written for one citizenry, so the same country carries a different assessment depending on your passport. Change it in the header.

Showing the baseline, which weights every issuer equally. No government in our corpus publishes travel advice written for you, so this is not addressed to you specifically.

Dimensions

Each dimension is scored independently, because the traveller who cares about legal exposure for what they have posted is often not the one carrying client data. Higher means more risk.

Speech and legal exposure

What legal risk attaches to what I have said online, or say while I am there?

78Extreme78 of 100, Extreme band, 75 to 100

good confidence8 independent sources

Why this score (15 sources)

  • Freedom House 2026 scored ZWE 1 of 4 on freedom to express personal views on sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution.

    Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01

  • Freedom House 2026 scored ZWE 1 of 4 on free and independent media.

    Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored ZWE 2.95 of 4 on how routinely the government censors political content on social media, where higher is freer.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored ZWE 0.56 of 4 on how often people are arrested for political content they posted online, where higher is freer.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • Zimbabwe - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution

    US Department of State, Travel Advisories · observed 2023-06-27 · written for USA nationals

  • FCDO advice for Zimbabwe: no advisory against travel in force.

    UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice · observed 2026-07-15 · written for GBR nationals

  • Zimbabwe: Exercise a high degree of caution

    Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-13 · written for CAN nationals

  • Zimbabwe (Simbabwe): No travel warning in force

    Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise · observed 2026-09-04 · written for DEU nationals

  • On 4th February 2026, Pellagia Mupurwa, a journalist with Zimbo Live, was arrested in Harare and charged under Zimbabwe’s Cyber and Data Protection Act, which criminalises the transmission of “false data messages intended to cause harm” and carries a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2026-03-19 · extracted by language model

  • On 11th June 2025, Zimbabwe's High Court struck down Section 22A(3) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Act No.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2025-10-27 · extracted by language model

  • Mhlanga, who works with the privately owned broadcaster Heart and Soul TV, was arrested on February 24 and charged with incitement for covering war veterans who called for the resignation of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposed proposals to extend his term.

    Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-03-27 · extracted by language model

  • Mhlanga responded to the police summons on February 24 and was arrested on two counts of transmission of data messages “inciting violence or damage to property,” according to the Zimbabwe chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa , the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights network, and Mhlanga’s lawyer Chris Mhike.

    Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-02-26 · extracted by language model

  • Any recording or online activity that could be perceived as critical of the government or the country could be considered illegal by local authorities.

    Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-16 · written for CAN nationals · extracted by language model

  • It is illegal to make derogatory or insulting comments about the President or to carry material considered to be offensive towards the office of President.

    UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice · observed 2026-07-15 · written for GBR nationals · extracted by language model

  • On 1st July 2025, Zimbabwean journalist and editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, Faith Zaba, was arrested in Harare and charged with “undermining the authority of or insulting the President” after publishing a satirical article in the weekly’s Muckraker column on 27th June 2025.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2025-10-27 · extracted by language model

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

1 excluded source
  • Global Voices (Advox), via a site scoped search, observed 2024-08-14: aged out after 2 years.

Network threat

How hostile is the network environment to a foreign visitor, from state actors and criminals alike?

76Extreme76 of 100, Extreme band, 75 to 100

good confidence4 independent sourcesEvidence is ageing: contributing sources are weighted at 66% of full strength.

Why this score (4 sources)

  • ITU Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, Technical pillar: 1.39 of 20.

    International Telecommunication Union, Global Cybersecurity Index · observed 2024-12-31

  • Freedom House scored Zimbabwe 10 of 25 on obstacles to access in Freedom on the Net, a category covering state control over internet infrastructure and gateways, regulatory and ownership control over service providers, and the independence of the regulator.

    Freedom House, Freedom on the Net, obstacles to access · observed 2025-01-01

  • He was charged under the Broadcasting Services Act for allegedly providing a broadcasting service without a licence and also under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act for cyberbullying.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2026-03-19 · extracted by language model

  • If found guilty, Madzikatidze could serve up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $700 for cyberbullying, under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act , and up to three months imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $700, under Section 7(1) of the Broadcasting Services Act , according to Giya and the press freedom group Media Institute of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe .

    Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search · observed 2026-02-24 · extracted by language model

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Surveillance and interception

How comprehensively are communications intercepted, retained, and monitored, and is commercial spyware in use?

71High71 of 100, High band, 50 to 74

good confidence4 independent sources

Why this score (5 sources)

  • Freedom House 2026 scored ZWE 1 of 4 on freedom to express personal views on sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution.

    Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored ZWE 1.23 of 4 on how comprehensively the government monitors social media and private online communication, where higher is freer.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored ZWE 1.29 of 4 on how far privacy protection law shields communications from government access, where higher is freer. This measures what privacy law permits rather than what monitoring is practised, so it is read here as a constraint on interception rather than a measurement of it.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • The World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2025 scored ZWE 0.15 of 1 on whether freedom from arbitrary interference with privacy is effectively guaranteed, a measure built from expert assessments of warrantless interception of communications.

    World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index, sub-factor 4.6 · observed 2025-01-01

  • Some reporters were also questioned by individuals identifying themselves as state security agents about their media affiliations and coverage of the proceedings.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2026-07-16 · extracted by language model

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

1 excluded source
  • Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-02-23: aged out after 3 years.

Data jurisdiction

What happens to corporate or client data I carry into the jurisdiction?

64High64 of 100, High band, 50 to 74

good confidence2 independent sourcesEvidence is ageing: contributing sources are weighted at 55% of full strength.

Why this score (2 sources)

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Connectivity continuity

How likely am I to lose access to the internet, or to the specific tools I depend on?

46Caution46 of 100, Caution band, 25 to 49

good confidence8 independent sources

Why this score (48 sources)

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Border device risk

How likely is my device to be searched, imaged, or seized at the border, and can I be compelled to unlock it?

41Caution41 of 100, Caution band, 25 to 49

moderate confidence5 independent sources

No reports were found of devices being searched, imaged or seized at this border, or of travellers being compelled to unlock them. The score below is drawn from general indicators for this country rather than from anything observed about this risk, so it describes an absence of reports rather than evidence that the risk is absent.

What the score rests on (5 indirect sources)

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Encryption and VPN legality

Are VPNs and strong encryption lawful, and can I be required to install an application or hand over keys?

36Caution36 of 100, Caution band, 25 to 49

moderate confidence3 independent sources

Why this score (3 sources)

  • Some restrictions. The law in Zimbabwe allows security and law enforcement agencies to impose “disclosure requirements” to persons in respect of encrypted information where they believe that a key to encrypted information is in the possession of that person, and that a disclosure requirement is necessary for in the interests of national security, to prevent or detect a serious criminal offence, or in the interests of the country’s economic wellbeing. They must also believe that the requirement is proportionate to what is sought to be achieved by its imposition and that it is not reasonably practicable for them t

    Global Partners Digital, World Map of Encryption Laws and Policies · observed 2019-06-01

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored ZWE 1.69 of 4 on whether the government regulates the internet in a way consistent with international human rights standards, where higher is freer. This does not establish whether encryption or VPN use is lawful. It measures internet regulation in general, and is used as indirect evidence because the only survey that reads encryption law directly was published in 2019.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • OONI recorded no confirmed blocking across 2,546 measurements of anonymity and censorship circumvention tools in ZWE over the 90 days to 2026-10-16, with 75 further results inconclusive.

    Open Observatory of Network Interference, OONI measurement data · observed 2026-10-16

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Trend

02550751002026-08-162026-10-16

The overall score is up 8.7 points over 61 days, from 51.4 to 60.1. Most movement is the event overlay decaying rather than anything happening: a news signal loses half its weight every three weeks, so a score drifts back toward its structural baseline on its own. A step that holds is the one worth reading.

Check this yourself

These are not inputs to the score for Zimbabwe. They are where to look if you want to test what is above against something we did not use.

Sources

This assessment draws on 16 sources: Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise; CIVICUS Monitor country updates; Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search; Freedom House, Freedom in the World; Freedom House, Freedom on the Net, obstacles to access; Georgia Tech Internet Intelligence Lab, Internet Outage Detection and Analysis; Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories; Global Partners Digital, World Map of Encryption Laws and Policies; International Telecommunication Union, Global Cybersecurity Index; Open Observatory of Network Interference, OONI measurement data; Paradigm Initiative, via a site scoped search; TechAfrica News, via a site scoped search; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice; US Department of State, Travel Advisories; V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project; World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index, sub-factor 4.6. Every contributing claim is quoted with its origin and date above. Model version 0.12.0, computed 2026-10-16.

If something here is wrong, say so. Corrections are handled in public, and we correct because the evidence is wrong, not because someone objects.