Malaysia vs South Africa: Liberal democracy
Malaysia
2
in 2025
South Africa
2
in 2025
Malaysia rank
32nd
South Africa rank
32nd
Liberal democracy over time
- Malaysia
- South Africa
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 2 against 2 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.
Malaysia ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1920s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 | South Africa |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 0.6 | 1 | 0.4 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 1 | 1.5 | 0.5 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1 | 3 | 2 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1 | 2.3 | 1.3 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1.5 | 2 | 0.5 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy, Malaysia or South Africa?
- Malaysia, at 2 against 2 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy between Malaysia and South Africa?
- 0, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Malaysia and South Africa rank globally for liberal democracy?
- Malaysia 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.