South Africa vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Sovereign state
South Africa
1
in 2025
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1
in 2025
South Africa rank
1st
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
1st
Sovereign state over time
- South Africa
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1 against 1 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 0.
Across all 210 years both countries report, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 1st and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 1st of 194 countries.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 22 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1820s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1830s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1840s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1850s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1860s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1870s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1880s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1890s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1900s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher sovereign state, South Africa or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- South Africa, at 1 against 1 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in sovereign state between South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 210 years are reported by both, from 1816 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for sovereign state?
- South Africa ranks 1st and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 1st of 194 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Gleditsch and Ward (2007) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Sovereign state. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The country is identified as a sovereign state by Gleditsch and Ward dataset.