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Egalitarian democracy index vdem in South Africa

South Africa: Egalitarian democracy index vdem was 0.518 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.518
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
49th
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.533
in 2006
All-time low
0.031
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Egalitarian democracy index vdem in South Africa, 1900–2025

00.20.40.6190019622025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.518 for egalitarian democracy index vdem in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, egalitarian democracy index vdem in South Africa peaked at 0.533 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.031, in 1900.

South Africa ranks 49th of 175 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.

Egalitarian democracy index vdem in South Africa, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.031 —
1901 0.031 +0.0%
1902 0.031 +0.0%
1903 0.031 +0.0%
1904 0.031 +0.0%
1905 0.031 +0.0%
1906 0.031 +0.0%
1907 0.031 +0.0%
1908 0.031 +0.0%
1909 0.031 +0.0%
1910 0.036 +16.1%
1911 0.043 +19.4%
1912 0.043 +0.0%
1913 0.043 +0.0%
1914 0.043 +0.0%
1915 0.043 +0.0%
1916 0.043 +0.0%
1917 0.043 +0.0%
1918 0.043 +0.0%
1919 0.043 +0.0%
1920 0.043 +0.0%
1921 0.043 +0.0%
1922 0.043 +0.0%
1923 0.043 +0.0%
1924 0.043 +0.0%
1925 0.043 +0.0%
1926 0.045 +4.7%
1927 0.045 +0.0%
1928 0.045 +0.0%
1929 0.045 +0.0%
1930 0.045 +0.0%
1931 0.049 +8.9%
1932 0.05 +2.0%
1933 0.049 -2.0%
1934 0.049 +0.0%
1935 0.049 +0.0%
1936 0.049 +0.0%
1937 0.049 +0.0%
1938 0.049 +0.0%
1939 0.049 +0.0%
1940 0.049 +0.0%
1941 0.049 +0.0%
1942 0.049 +0.0%
1943 0.049 +0.0%
1944 0.049 +0.0%
1945 0.049 +0.0%
1946 0.049 +0.0%
1947 0.045 -8.2%
1948 0.042 -6.7%
1949 0.039 -7.1%
1950 0.039 +0.0%
1951 0.039 +0.0%
1952 0.039 +0.0%
1953 0.037 -5.1%
1954 0.037 +0.0%
1955 0.037 +0.0%
1956 0.037 +0.0%
1957 0.037 +0.0%
1958 0.037 +0.0%
1959 0.037 +0.0%
1960 0.037 +0.0%
1961 0.032 -13.5%
1962 0.033 +3.1%
1963 0.033 +0.0%
1964 0.032 -3.0%
1965 0.032 +0.0%
1966 0.032 +0.0%
1967 0.032 +0.0%
1968 0.032 +0.0%
1969 0.032 +0.0%
1970 0.032 +0.0%
1971 0.032 +0.0%
1972 0.032 +0.0%
1973 0.032 +0.0%
1974 0.032 +0.0%
1975 0.033 +3.1%
1976 0.033 +0.0%
1977 0.032 -3.0%
1978 0.032 +0.0%
1979 0.032 +0.0%
1980 0.032 +0.0%
1981 0.034 +6.3%
1982 0.034 +0.0%
1983 0.034 +0.0%
1984 0.034 +0.0%
1985 0.037 +8.8%
1986 0.037 +0.0%
1987 0.037 +0.0%
1988 0.037 +0.0%
1989 0.039 +5.4%
1990 0.047 +20.5%
1991 0.053 +12.8%
1992 0.053 +0.0%
1993 0.055 +3.8%
1994 0.273 +396.4%
1995 0.441 +61.5%
1996 0.449 +1.8%
1997 0.445 -0.9%
1998 0.444 -0.2%
1999 0.475 +7.0%
2000 0.499 +5.1%
2001 0.499 +0.0%
2002 0.499 +0.0%
2003 0.499 +0.0%
2004 0.514 +3.0%
2005 0.532 +3.5%
2006 0.533 +0.2%
2007 0.533 +0.0%
2008 0.53 -0.6%
2009 0.53 +0.0%
2010 0.532 +0.4%
2011 0.531 -0.2%
2012 0.533 +0.4%
2013 0.528 -0.9%
2014 0.524 -0.8%
2015 0.516 -1.5%
2016 0.517 +0.2%
2017 0.497 -3.9%
2018 0.488 -1.8%
2019 0.489 +0.2%
2020 0.494 +1.0%
2021 0.516 +4.5%
2022 0.51 -1.2%
2023 0.491 -3.7%
2024 0.512 +4.3%
2025 0.518 +1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.031 0.031 0.031 10
1910s 0.0423 0.036 0.043 10
1920s 0.0438 0.043 0.045 10
1930s 0.0487 0.045 0.05 10
1940s 0.0469 0.039 0.049 10
1950s 0.0376 0.037 0.039 10
1960s 0.0327 0.032 0.037 10
1970s 0.0322 0.032 0.033 10
1980s 0.0355 0.032 0.039 10
1990s 0.2735 0.047 0.475 10
2000s 0.5168 0.499 0.533 10
2010s 0.5155 0.488 0.533 10
2020s 0.5068 0.491 0.518 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 46 Israel 0.549 compare
  2. 47 Croatia 0.543 compare
  3. 48 Brazil 0.54 compare
  4. 50 Montenegro 0.501 compare
  5. 51 Argentina 0.5 compare
  6. 52 Ghana 0.493 compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More social development data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is egalitarian democracy index vdem in South Africa?
Egalitarian democracy index vdem in South Africa was 0.518 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest egalitarian democracy index vdem recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.533 in 2006.
What is the lowest egalitarian democracy index vdem recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.031 in 1900.
How does South Africa rank for egalitarian democracy index vdem?
South Africa ranks 49th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
Is egalitarian democracy index vdem rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. 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 Egalitarian democracy index vdem. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Egalitarian democracy index vdem in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/egalitarian-democracy-index-vdem/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Egalitarian democracy index vdem
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
175 places, 20,734 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed