New Zealand vs South Africa: Electoral democracy (Lexical Index)
New Zealand
1
in 2025
South Africa
1
in 2025
New Zealand rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Electoral democracy (Lexical Index) over time
- New Zealand
- South Africa
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 1 against 1 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was New Zealand ahead.
New Zealand ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 198 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 | 1 | 0 | 1 | New Zealand |
| 1910s | 1 | 0 | 1 | New Zealand |
| 1920s | 1 | 0 | 1 | New Zealand |
| 1930s | 1 | 0 | 1 | New Zealand |
| 1940s | 1 | 0 | 1 | New Zealand |
| 1950s | 1 | 0 | 1 | New Zealand |
| 1960s | 1 | 0 | 1 | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 1 | 0 | 1 | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 1 | 0 | 1 | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electoral democracy, New Zealand or South Africa?
- New Zealand, at 1 against 1 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electoral democracy between New Zealand and South Africa?
- 0, with New Zealand 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 electoral democracy?
- New Zealand ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Electoral 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 using the reduced Lexical Index of Electoral Democracy. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies, one-party autocracies, multi-party autocracies without elected executive, multi-party autocracies, exclusive democracies, male democracies, and electoral democracies (including full democracies or polyarchies).