Liberal Democracy Index in South Africa
South Africa: Liberal Democracy Index 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
Liberal Democracy Index in South Africa, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, liberal democracy index in South Africa stood at 0.633.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy index 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.
Liberal Democracy Index 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% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.633 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.347, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.633 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.17, 3.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is liberal democracy index in South Africa?
- Liberal democracy index in South Africa was 0.633 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.668 in 2012.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.092 in 1961.
- How does South Africa rank for liberal democracy index?
- South Africa ranks 39th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy index 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 V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Liberal 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).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.