Italy vs South Africa: Liberal democracy index
Italy
0.642
in 2025
South Africa
0.633
in 2025
Italy rank
37th
South Africa rank
39th
Liberal democracy index over time
- Italy
- South Africa
How they compare
Italy currently reports 0.642 against 0.633 in South Africa, a difference of 0.009.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Italy ahead.
Italy ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 39th of 176 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 11 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.2465 | 0.11 | 0.1365 | Italy |
| 1910s | 0.2554 | 0.1274 | 0.128 | Italy |
| 1920s | 0.1194 | 0.1286 | 0.0092 | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0.0335 | 0.1316 | 0.0981 | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0.224 | 0.127 | 0.097 | Italy |
| 1950s | 0.5678 | 0.1016 | 0.4662 | Italy |
| 1960s | 0.6168 | 0.0939 | 0.5229 | Italy |
| 1970s | 0.6519 | 0.0932 | 0.5587 | Italy |
| 1980s | 0.7172 | 0.1094 | 0.6078 | Italy |
| 1990s | 0.7477 | 0.3698 | 0.3779 | Italy |
| 2000s | 0.762 | 0.6459 | 0.1161 | Italy |
| 2010s | 0.7864 | 0.6474 | 0.139 | Italy |
| 2020s | 0.7278 | 0.6177 | 0.1102 | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy index, Italy or South Africa?
- Italy, at 0.642 against 0.633 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Italy and South Africa?
- 0.009, with Italy ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Italy and South Africa rank globally for liberal democracy index?
- Italy ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 39th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Liberal democracy index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.