Statizoid

Full democracy in South Africa

South Africa: Full democracy was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
1
in 1994
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Full democracy in South Africa, 1900–2025

00.20.40.60.81190019622025

Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, full democracy in South Africa stood at 1. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, full democracy in South Africa peaked at 1 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.

That places South Africa 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0 0 0 10
1950s 0 0 0 10
1960s 0 0 0 10
1970s 0 0 0 10
1980s 0 0 0 10
1990s 0.6 0 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Andorra 1 compare
  2. 1 Antigua and Barbuda 1 compare
  3. 1 Argentina 1 compare
  4. 1 Australia 1 compare
  5. 1 Austria 1 compare
  6. 1 Bahamas 1 compare
  7. 1 Barbados 1 compare
  8. 1 Belgium 1 compare
  9. 1 Belize 1 compare
  10. 1 Brazil 1 compare
  11. 1 Bulgaria 1 compare
  12. 1 Canada 1 compare
  13. 1 Cape Verde 1 compare
  14. 1 Chile 1 compare
  15. 1 Costa Rica 1 compare
  16. 1 Croatia 1 compare
  17. 1 Cyprus 1 compare
  18. 1 Czechia 1 compare
  19. 1 Denmark 1 compare
  20. 1 Dominica 1 compare
  21. 1 Dominican Republic 1 compare
  22. 1 Estonia 1 compare
  23. 1 Fiji 1 compare
  24. 1 Finland 1 compare
  25. 1 France 1 compare
  26. 1 Germany 1 compare
  27. 1 Ghana 1 compare
  28. 1 Greece 1 compare
  29. 1 Grenada 1 compare
  30. 1 Guyana 1 compare
  31. 1 Iceland 1 compare
  32. 1 Ireland 1 compare
  33. 1 Italy 1 compare
  34. 1 Jamaica 1 compare
  35. 1 Japan 1 compare
  36. 1 Kiribati 1 compare
  37. 1 Latvia 1 compare
  38. 1 Lithuania 1 compare
  39. 1 Luxembourg 1 compare
  40. 1 Malta 1 compare
  41. 1 Marshall Islands 1 compare
  42. 1 Mauritius 1 compare
  43. 1 Micronesia (country) 1 compare
  44. 1 Mongolia 1 compare
  45. 1 Namibia 1 compare
  46. 1 Nauru 1 compare
  47. 1 Netherlands 1 compare
  48. 1 New Zealand 1 compare
  49. 1 Norway 1 compare
  50. 1 Palau 1 compare
  51. 1 Panama 1 compare
  52. 1 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
  53. 1 Poland 1 compare
  54. 1 Portugal 1 compare
  55. 1 Romania 1 compare
  56. 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 compare
  57. 1 Saint Lucia 1 compare
  58. 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 compare
  59. 1 Samoa 1 compare
  60. 1 San Marino 1 compare
  61. 1 Sao Tome and Principe 1 compare
  62. 1 Seychelles 1 compare
  63. 1 Slovenia 1 compare
  64. 1 South Korea 1 compare
  65. 1 Spain 1 compare
  66. 1 Suriname 1 compare
  67. 1 Sweden 1 compare
  68. 1 Switzerland 1 compare
  69. 1 Taiwan 1 compare
  70. 1 Tonga 1 compare
  71. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 compare
  72. 1 Tuvalu 1 compare
  73. 1 United Kingdom 1 compare
  74. 1 United States 1 compare
  75. 1 Uruguay 1 compare
  76. 1 Vanuatu 1 compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More social development data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is full democracy in South Africa?
Full democracy in South Africa was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest full democracy recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1994.
What is the lowest full democracy recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
How does South Africa rank for full democracy?
South Africa ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is full democracy rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 Full democracy. 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).

About this data

Indicator
Full democracy
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies if a country is a full democracy using the extended Lexical Index of Electoral Democracy (LIED+).