Poland vs South Africa: Liberal democracy
Poland
2
in 2025
South Africa
2
in 2025
Poland rank
32nd
South Africa rank
32nd
Liberal democracy over time
- Poland
- South Africa
How they compare
Poland currently reports 2 against 2 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 103 shared years of data; in 1918 it was South Africa ahead.
Poland ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
Across the 12 decades both report, Poland averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Poland | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 | South Africa |
| 1920s | 1.6 | 1 | 0.6 | Poland |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 | South Africa |
| 1960s | 0.1 | 1 | 0.9 | South Africa |
| 1970s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 2.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | Poland |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 2.6 | 2.3 | 0.3 | Poland |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy, Poland or South Africa?
- Poland, at 2 against 2 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy between Poland and South Africa?
- 0, 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 liberal democracy?
- Poland 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.