What is legislative corruption score in South Africa?

Legislative corruption score in South Africa was 0.011 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest legislative corruption score recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 0.214 in 1996.

What is the lowest legislative corruption score recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was -0.03 in 2013.

How does South Africa rank for legislative corruption score?

South Africa ranks 83rd out of 174 countries with data for 2025.

Is legislative corruption score rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is up 136.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this South Africa data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Legislative Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Legislative Corruption Score in South Africa

Name: Legislative Corruption Score in South Africa
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Africa: Legislative Corruption Score was 0.011 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.011

Change on year

down 94.8%

World rank

83rd

of 174 countries

All-time high

0.214

in 1996

All-time low

-0.03

in 2013

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Legislative Corruption Score in South Africa, 1900–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, legislative corruption score in South Africa stood at 0.011.

The figure is down 94.8% on the previous year and up 136.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, legislative corruption score in South Africa peaked at 0.214 in 1996 and was at its lowest, -0.03, in 2013.

That places South Africa 83rd out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

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	0.187	0.187	0.187	10
1910s	0.187	0.187	0.187	10
1920s	0.187	0.187	0.187	10
1930s	0.187	0.187	0.187	10
1940s	0.1756	0.13	0.187	10
1950s	0.13	0.13	0.13	10
1960s	0.13	0.13	0.13	10
1970s	0.13	0.13	0.13	10
1980s	0.13	0.13	0.13	10
1990s	0.1502	-0.004	0.214	10
2000s	-0.003	-0.003	-0.003	10
2010s	0.0162	-0.03	0.21	10
2020s	0.1768	0.011	0.21	6

Countries ranked near South Africa

80 Taiwan 0.056 compare
81 Belarus 0.016 compare
82 Guinea 0.015 compare
84 Mauritius 0.005 compare
85 Malaysia -0.015 compare
85 Mozambique -0.015 compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More social development data for South Africa

Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
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)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.743 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.837 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.87 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.743 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.47 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.633 (2025)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is legislative corruption score in South Africa?: Legislative corruption score in South Africa was 0.011 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest legislative corruption score recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.214 in 1996.
What is the lowest legislative corruption score recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was -0.03 in 2013.
How does South Africa rank for legislative corruption score?: South Africa ranks 83rd out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is legislative corruption score rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is up 136.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Legislative Corruption Score. 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: Legislative Corruption Score
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 174 places, 17,541 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which members of the legislature abuse their position for financial gain, such as bribes, government contracts, future employment, or stealing from the state. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.