South Africa vs Timor-Leste: Key features of electoral democracy
South Africa
0.743
in 2025
Timor-Leste
0.736
in 2025
South Africa rank
42nd
Timor-Leste rank
45th
Key features of electoral democracy over time
- South Africa
- Timor-Leste
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 0.743 against 0.736 in Timor-Leste, a difference of 0.007.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 42nd and Timor-Leste ranks 45th of 176 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Timor-Leste | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.156 | 0.016 | 0.14 | South Africa |
| 1910s | 0.2207 | 0.017 | 0.2037 | South Africa |
| 1920s | 0.2251 | 0.0166 | 0.2085 | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0.2335 | 0.016 | 0.2175 | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0.2284 | 0.0156 | 0.2128 | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0.1963 | 0.016 | 0.1803 | South Africa |
| 1960s | 0.1667 | 0.017 | 0.1497 | South Africa |
| 1970s | 0.164 | 0.049 | 0.115 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 0.1758 | 0.076 | 0.0998 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 0.4748 | 0.0816 | 0.3932 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 0.7622 | 0.5203 | 0.2419 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 0.7576 | 0.6549 | 0.1027 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 0.7252 | 0.7108 | 0.0143 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key features of electoral democracy, South Africa or Timor-Leste?
- South Africa, at 0.743 against 0.736 in Timor-Leste as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key features of electoral democracy between South Africa and Timor-Leste?
- 0.007, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Timor-Leste?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Timor-Leste rank globally for key features of electoral democracy?
- South Africa ranks 42nd and Timor-Leste ranks 45th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) β processed by Our World in Data, published as Key features of electoral democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.