Panama vs South Africa: Liberal democracy
Panama
2
in 2025
South Africa
2
in 2025
Panama rank
32nd
South Africa rank
32nd
Liberal democracy over time
- Panama
- South Africa
How they compare
Panama currently reports 2 against 2 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 123 shared years of data; in 1903 it was South Africa ahead.
Panama ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Panama averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Panama | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.8571 | 0 | 0.8571 | Panama |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0.8 | 1 | 0.2 | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0.9 | 1 | 0.1 | South Africa |
| 1960s | 0.8 | 1 | 0.2 | South Africa |
| 1970s | 0.7 | 1 | 0.3 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | Panama |
| 1990s | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.4 | Panama |
| 2000s | 2 | 3 | 1 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2 | 2.3 | 0.3 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy, Panama or South Africa?
- Panama, at 2 against 2 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy between Panama and South Africa?
- 0, with Panama ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Panama and South Africa?
- 123 years are reported by both, from 1903 to 2025.
- How do Panama and South Africa rank globally for liberal democracy?
- Panama 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.