Which has higher key features of liberal democracy, Poland or South Africa?

Poland, at 0.645 against 0.633 in South Africa as of 2025.

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

103 years are reported by both, from 1918 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Poland vs South Africa: Key features of liberal democracy

Poland

0.645

in 2025

South Africa

0.633

in 2025

Poland rank

36th

South Africa rank

39th

Key features of liberal democracy over time

Poland
South Africa

How they compare

Poland currently reports 0.645 against 0.633 in South Africa, a difference of 0.012.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 103 shared years of data; in 1918 it was Poland ahead.

Poland ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 39th of 176 countries.

Across the 12 decades both report, Poland averaged higher in 10 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Poland	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1910s	0.26	0.128	0.132	Poland
1920s	0.4099	0.1286	0.2813	Poland
1930s	0.2159	0.1316	0.0843	Poland
1940s	0.1047	0.1237	0.019	South Africa
1950s	0.1145	0.1016	0.0129	Poland
1960s	0.1316	0.0939	0.0377	Poland
1970s	0.134	0.0932	0.0408	Poland
1980s	0.1529	0.1094	0.0435	Poland
1990s	0.7864	0.3698	0.4166	Poland
2000s	0.812	0.6459	0.1661	Poland
2010s	0.7056	0.6474	0.0582	Poland
2020s	0.501	0.6177	0.1167	South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher key features of liberal democracy, Poland or South Africa?: Poland, at 0.645 against 0.633 in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in key features of liberal democracy between Poland and South Africa?: 0.012, with Poland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Poland and South Africa?: 103 years are reported by both, from 1918 to 2025.
How do Poland and South Africa rank globally for key features of liberal democracy?: Poland ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 39th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Poland vs South Africa: Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/key-features-of-liberal-democracy/poland/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator: Key features of liberal democracy
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 28,671 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.