Age of democracy polity in South Africa
South Africa: Age of democracy polity was 27 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
27
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
58th
of 110 countries
All-time high
27
in 2018
All-time low
1
in 1992
Years of data
27
1992–2018
Age of democracy polity in South Africa, 1992–2018
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy polity in South Africa stood at 27. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 58.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy polity in South Africa peaked at 27 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1992.
South Africa ranks 58th of 110 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of democracy polity in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1 | — |
| 1993 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1994 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1995 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1996 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1997 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1998 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1999 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 2000 | 9 | +12.5% |
| 2001 | 10 | +11.1% |
| 2002 | 11 | +10.0% |
| 2003 | 12 | +9.1% |
| 2004 | 13 | +8.3% |
| 2005 | 14 | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 15 | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 16 | +6.7% |
| 2008 | 17 | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 18 | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 19 | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 20 | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 21 | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 22 | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 23 | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 24 | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 25 | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 26 | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 27 | +3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.5 | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| 2000s | 13.5 | 9 | 18 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23 | 19 | 27 | 9 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 2 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of democracy polity in South Africa?
- Age of democracy polity in South Africa was 27 in 2018, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy polity recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 27 in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy polity recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1992.
- How does South Africa rank for age of democracy polity?
- South Africa ranks 58th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy polity rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 58.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Age of democracy polity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).