Sao Tome and Principe vs South Africa: Full democracy
Sao Tome and Principe
1
in 2025
South Africa
1
in 2025
Sao Tome and Principe rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Full democracy over time
- Sao Tome and Principe
- South Africa
How they compare
Sao Tome and Principe currently reports 1 against 1 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
Across all 126 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 1st and South Africa 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 | Sao Tome and Principe | South Africa | 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 | 0.6 | 0.6 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 0 | 1 | 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 full democracy, Sao Tome and Principe or South Africa?
- Sao Tome and Principe, at 1 against 1 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in full democracy between Sao Tome and Principe and South Africa?
- 0, with Sao Tome and Principe ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sao Tome and Principe and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Sao Tome and Principe and South Africa rank globally for full democracy?
- Sao Tome and Principe 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 Full democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Identifies if a country is a full democracy using the extended Lexical Index of Electoral Democracy (LIED+).