Which has higher deliberative democracy index, New Zealand or South Africa?

South Africa, at 0.651 against 0.644 in New Zealand as of 2025.

What is the difference in deliberative democracy index between New Zealand and South Africa?

0.007, with South Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and South Africa?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Deliberative Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

New Zealand vs South Africa: Deliberative Democracy Index

New Zealand

0.644

in 2025

South Africa

0.651

in 2025

New Zealand rank

37th

South Africa rank

35th

Deliberative Democracy Index over time

New Zealand
South Africa

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.651 against 0.644 in New Zealand, a difference of 0.007.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was New Zealand ahead.

New Zealand ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 35th of 175 countries.

New Zealand has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	New Zealand	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.5735	0.118	0.4555	New Zealand
1910s	0.5263	0.1642	0.3621	New Zealand
1920s	0.5839	0.169	0.4149	New Zealand
1930s	0.6153	0.1714	0.4439	New Zealand
1940s	0.6065	0.1651	0.4414	New Zealand
1950s	0.6453	0.1364	0.5089	New Zealand
1960s	0.6962	0.1296	0.5666	New Zealand
1970s	0.6974	0.1285	0.5689	New Zealand
1980s	0.6458	0.14	0.5058	New Zealand
1990s	0.7007	0.4364	0.2643	New Zealand
2000s	0.7653	0.6631	0.1022	New Zealand
2010s	0.766	0.6448	0.1212	New Zealand
2020s	0.7288	0.6345	0.0943	New Zealand

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher deliberative democracy index, New Zealand or South Africa?: South Africa, at 0.651 against 0.644 in New Zealand as of 2025.
What is the difference in deliberative democracy index between New Zealand and South Africa?: 0.007, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and South Africa?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do New Zealand and South Africa rank globally for deliberative democracy index?: New Zealand ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 35th of 175 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Deliberative Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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New Zealand vs South Africa: Deliberative Democracy Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/deliberative-democracy-index-vdem/new-zealand/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator: Deliberative Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 175 places, 20,734 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, as well as the extent to which political elites justify their positions, justify them with the common good, acknowledge counterarguments, consult elites in policy changes, and society deliberates policy changes.