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Key features of liberal democracy in South Africa

South Africa: Key features of liberal democracy was 0.633 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.633
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
39th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.668
in 2012
All-time low
0.092
in 1961
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Key features of liberal democracy in South Africa, 1900–2025

00.20.40.6190019622025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for key features of liberal democracy in South Africa is 0.633, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, key features of liberal democracy in South Africa peaked at 0.668 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.092, in 1961.

South Africa ranks 39th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Key features of liberal democracy in South Africa, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.11 —
1901 0.11 +0.0%
1902 0.11 +0.0%
1903 0.11 +0.0%
1904 0.11 +0.0%
1905 0.11 +0.0%
1906 0.11 +0.0%
1907 0.11 +0.0%
1908 0.11 +0.0%
1909 0.11 +0.0%
1910 0.118 +7.3%
1911 0.129 +9.3%
1912 0.129 +0.0%
1913 0.129 +0.0%
1914 0.129 +0.0%
1915 0.128 -0.8%
1916 0.128 +0.0%
1917 0.128 +0.0%
1918 0.128 +0.0%
1919 0.128 +0.0%
1920 0.128 +0.0%
1921 0.128 +0.0%
1922 0.128 +0.0%
1923 0.128 +0.0%
1924 0.129 +0.8%
1925 0.129 +0.0%
1926 0.129 +0.0%
1927 0.129 +0.0%
1928 0.129 +0.0%
1929 0.129 +0.0%
1930 0.129 +0.0%
1931 0.131 +1.6%
1932 0.132 +0.8%
1933 0.132 +0.0%
1934 0.132 +0.0%
1935 0.132 +0.0%
1936 0.132 +0.0%
1937 0.132 +0.0%
1938 0.132 +0.0%
1939 0.132 +0.0%
1940 0.132 +0.0%
1941 0.132 +0.0%
1942 0.132 +0.0%
1943 0.132 +0.0%
1944 0.132 +0.0%
1945 0.132 +0.0%
1946 0.132 +0.0%
1947 0.126 -4.5%
1948 0.111 -11.9%
1949 0.109 -1.8%
1950 0.102 -6.4%
1951 0.102 +0.0%
1952 0.102 +0.0%
1953 0.102 +0.0%
1954 0.101 -1.0%
1955 0.101 +0.0%
1956 0.101 +0.0%
1957 0.101 +0.0%
1958 0.102 +1.0%
1959 0.102 +0.0%
1960 0.099 -2.9%
1961 0.092 -7.1%
1962 0.094 +2.2%
1963 0.094 +0.0%
1964 0.094 +0.0%
1965 0.094 +0.0%
1966 0.093 -1.1%
1967 0.093 +0.0%
1968 0.093 +0.0%
1969 0.093 +0.0%
1970 0.093 +0.0%
1971 0.093 +0.0%
1972 0.093 +0.0%
1973 0.093 +0.0%
1974 0.093 +0.0%
1975 0.094 +1.1%
1976 0.094 +0.0%
1977 0.093 -1.1%
1978 0.093 +0.0%
1979 0.093 +0.0%
1980 0.093 +0.0%
1981 0.096 +3.2%
1982 0.096 +0.0%
1983 0.096 +0.0%
1984 0.118 +22.9%
1985 0.118 +0.0%
1986 0.119 +0.8%
1987 0.118 -0.8%
1988 0.119 +0.8%
1989 0.121 +1.7%
1990 0.139 +14.9%
1991 0.148 +6.5%
1992 0.149 +0.7%
1993 0.159 +6.7%
1994 0.293 +84.3%
1995 0.528 +80.2%
1996 0.56 +6.1%
1997 0.56 +0.0%
1998 0.564 +0.7%
1999 0.598 +6.0%
2000 0.629 +5.2%
2001 0.629 +0.0%
2002 0.629 +0.0%
2003 0.629 +0.0%
2004 0.649 +3.2%
2005 0.658 +1.4%
2006 0.661 +0.5%
2007 0.662 +0.2%
2008 0.657 -0.8%
2009 0.656 -0.2%
2010 0.666 +1.5%
2011 0.666 +0.0%
2012 0.668 +0.3%
2013 0.65 -2.7%
2014 0.641 -1.4%
2015 0.649 +1.2%
2016 0.645 -0.6%
2017 0.626 -2.9%
2018 0.64 +2.2%
2019 0.623 -2.7%
2020 0.604 -3.0%
2021 0.609 +0.8%
2022 0.61 +0.2%
2023 0.602 -1.3%
2024 0.648 +7.6%
2025 0.633 -2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.11 0.11 0.11 10
1910s 0.1274 0.118 0.129 10
1920s 0.1286 0.128 0.129 10
1930s 0.1316 0.129 0.132 10
1940s 0.127 0.109 0.132 10
1950s 0.1016 0.101 0.102 10
1960s 0.0939 0.092 0.099 10
1970s 0.0932 0.093 0.094 10
1980s 0.1094 0.093 0.121 10
1990s 0.3698 0.139 0.598 10
2000s 0.6459 0.629 0.662 10
2010s 0.6474 0.623 0.668 10
2020s 0.6177 0.602 0.648 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 36 Poland 0.645 compare
  2. 37 Italy 0.642 compare
  3. 38 Mauritius 0.639 compare
  4. 40 Cape Verde 0.631 compare
  5. 41 Suriname 0.626 compare
  6. 42 Vanuatu 0.623 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is key features of liberal democracy in South Africa?
Key features of liberal democracy in South Africa was 0.633 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest key features of liberal democracy recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.668 in 2012.
What is the lowest key features of liberal democracy recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.092 in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for key features of liberal democracy?
South Africa ranks 39th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is key features of liberal democracy rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. 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 Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Key features of liberal democracy in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/key-features-of-liberal-democracy/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Key features of liberal democracy
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 28,671 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed