Age of electoral democracy in South Africa
South Africa: Age of electoral democracy was 32 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in South Africa, 1994–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 32 years for age of electoral democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 45.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in South Africa peaked at 32 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1994.
South Africa ranks 86th of 144 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 electoral democracy in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 1 years | — |
| 1995 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1996 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1997 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1998 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1999 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2000 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2001 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2002 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2003 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2004 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2005 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2006 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2009 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2025 | 32 years | +3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.5 years | 1 years | 6 years | 6 |
| 2000s | 11.5 years | 7 years | 16 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.5 years | 17 years | 26 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.5 years | 27 years | 32 years | 6 |
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 electoral democracy in South Africa?
- Age of electoral democracy in South Africa was 32 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 32 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1994.
- How does South Africa rank for age of electoral democracy?
- South Africa ranks 86th out of 144 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.