Israel vs South Africa: Liberal democracy
Israel
2
in 2025
South Africa
2
in 2025
Israel rank
32nd
South Africa rank
32nd
Liberal democracy over time
- Israel
- South Africa
How they compare
Israel currently reports 2 against 2 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 98 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.
Israel ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
Across the 11 decades both report, Israel averaged higher in 7 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Israel | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 2 | 1 | 1 | Israel |
| 1960s | 2.4 | 1 | 1.4 | Israel |
| 1970s | 3 | 1 | 2 | Israel |
| 1980s | 3 | 0.4 | 2.6 | Israel |
| 1990s | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | Israel |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 3 | 2.3 | 0.7 | Israel |
| 2020s | 2.5 | 2 | 0.5 | Israel |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy, Israel or South Africa?
- Israel, at 2 against 2 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy between Israel and South Africa?
- 0, with Israel ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Israel and South Africa?
- 98 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Israel and South Africa rank globally for liberal democracy?
- Israel ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal 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 by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.