Electoral democracy index in South Africa
South Africa: Electoral democracy index was 0.743 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.743
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
42nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.779
in 2006
All-time low
0.156
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Electoral democracy index in South Africa, 1900–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, electoral democracy index in South Africa stood at 0.743.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electoral democracy index in South Africa peaked at 0.779 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.156, in 1900.
That places South Africa 42nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.156 | 0.156 | 0.156 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.2207 | 0.186 | 0.225 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.2251 | 0.225 | 0.226 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.2335 | 0.227 | 0.236 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2284 | 0.201 | 0.235 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1963 | 0.195 | 0.199 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1667 | 0.16 | 0.191 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.164 | 0.161 | 0.165 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1758 | 0.16 | 0.186 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4748 | 0.224 | 0.709 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7622 | 0.743 | 0.779 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7576 | 0.727 | 0.779 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7252 | 0.712 | 0.743 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 39 Seychelles 0.76 compare
- 40 Cape Verde 0.745 compare
- 40 Italy 0.745 compare
- 43 Greece 0.741 compare
- 44 Mauritius 0.738 compare
- 45 East Timor 0.736 compare
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 1,319 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 2 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.857 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.633 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.87 (2025)
- Freedom of expression index 0.837 (2025)
- Participatory democracy index 0.47 (2025)
- Varieties democracy vdem 0.743 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electoral democracy index in South Africa?
- Electoral democracy index in South Africa was 0.743 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electoral democracy index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.779 in 2006.
- What is the lowest electoral democracy index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.156 in 1900.
- How does South Africa rank for electoral democracy index?
- South Africa ranks 42nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electoral democracy index rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. 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 Electoral democracy index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).