China vs South Africa: Political corruption index
China
0.554
in 2025
South Africa
0.538
in 2025
China rank
84th
South Africa rank
86th
Political corruption index over time
- China
- South Africa
How they compare
China currently reports 0.554 against 0.538 in South Africa, a difference of 0.016.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was China ahead.
China ranks 84th and South Africa ranks 86th of 176 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 10 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.937 | 0.422 | 0.515 | China |
| 1910s | 0.8585 | 0.422 | 0.4365 | China |
| 1920s | 0.8228 | 0.422 | 0.4008 | China |
| 1930s | 0.752 | 0.422 | 0.33 | China |
| 1940s | 0.7578 | 0.4232 | 0.3346 | China |
| 1950s | 0.2633 | 0.428 | 0.1647 | South Africa |
| 1960s | 0.2554 | 0.428 | 0.1726 | South Africa |
| 1970s | 0.2791 | 0.4419 | 0.1628 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 0.4546 | 0.441 | 0.0136 | China |
| 1990s | 0.5565 | 0.4149 | 0.1416 | China |
| 2000s | 0.5736 | 0.4332 | 0.1404 | China |
| 2010s | 0.4988 | 0.4869 | 0.0119 | China |
| 2020s | 0.5023 | 0.4858 | 0.0165 | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher political corruption index, China or South Africa?
- China, at 0.554 against 0.538 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in political corruption index between China and South Africa?
- 0.016, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do China and South Africa rank globally for political corruption index?
- China ranks 84th and South Africa ranks 86th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Political corruption index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.