South Africa vs Tonga: Electoral democracy (Lexical Index)
South Africa
1
in 2025
Tonga
1
in 2025
South Africa rank
1st
Tonga rank
1st
Electoral democracy (Lexical Index) over time
- South Africa
- Tonga
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1 against 1 in Tonga, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Tonga ahead.
South Africa ranks 1st and Tonga ranks 1st of 198 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Tonga | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 0.6 | 0 | 0.6 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1 | 0 | 1 | South Africa |
| 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, South Africa or Tonga?
- South Africa, at 1 against 1 in Tonga as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electoral democracy between South Africa and Tonga?
- 0, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Tonga?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Tonga rank globally for electoral democracy?
- South Africa ranks 1st and Tonga 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).