Age of democracy in South Africa
South Africa: Age of democracy was 27 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in South Africa, 1992–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy in South Africa stood at 27 years. 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 in South Africa peaked at 27 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, 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 in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1 years | — |
| 1993 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1994 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1995 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1996 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1997 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1998 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1999 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2000 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2001 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2002 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2003 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2004 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2005 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2008 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 27 years | +3.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 27 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 24 years, 1.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 27 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15 years, 1.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1994 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.5 years | 1 years | 8 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 13.5 years | 9 years | 18 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 23 years | 19 years | 27 years | 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 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 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 in South Africa?
- Age of democracy in South Africa was 27 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 27 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1992.
- How does South Africa rank for age of democracy?
- South Africa ranks 58th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy 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 Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of democracy. 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).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.