Participatory Democracy Index in South Africa
South Africa: Participatory Democracy Index was 0.47 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.47
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
45th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.537
in 2006
All-time low
0.11
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Participatory Democracy Index in South Africa, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, participatory democracy index in South Africa stood at 0.47.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participatory democracy index in South Africa peaked at 0.537 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.11, in 1900.
That places South Africa 45th out of 176 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.
Participatory 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 | 0.122 | +10.9% |
| 1910 | 0.13 | +6.6% |
| 1911 | 0.143 | +10.0% |
| 1912 | 0.143 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.144 | +0.7% |
| 1914 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.145 | +0.7% |
| 1922 | 0.145 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.145 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.144 | -0.7% |
| 1925 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.146 | +1.4% |
| 1931 | 0.149 | +2.1% |
| 1932 | 0.15 | +0.7% |
| 1933 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.146 | -2.7% |
| 1948 | 0.134 | -8.2% |
| 1949 | 0.133 | -0.7% |
| 1950 | 0.132 | -0.8% |
| 1951 | 0.132 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.132 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.131 | -0.8% |
| 1954 | 0.131 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.131 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.131 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.131 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.131 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.131 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.139 | +6.1% |
| 1961 | 0.124 | -10.8% |
| 1962 | 0.126 | +1.6% |
| 1963 | 0.126 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.125 | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.13 | +4.0% |
| 1978 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.134 | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 0.134 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.144 | +7.5% |
| 1984 | 0.135 | -6.2% |
| 1985 | 0.135 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.118 | -12.6% |
| 1987 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.12 | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 0.157 | +30.8% |
| 1991 | 0.168 | +7.0% |
| 1992 | 0.178 | +6.0% |
| 1993 | 0.191 | +7.3% |
| 1994 | 0.294 | +53.9% |
| 1995 | 0.457 | +55.4% |
| 1996 | 0.466 | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 0.464 | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 0.458 | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 0.485 | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 0.52 | +7.2% |
| 2001 | 0.518 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 0.516 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 0.514 | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 0.527 | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 0.536 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 0.537 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.532 | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.527 | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 0.523 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 0.523 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.521 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 0.522 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 0.509 | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 0.503 | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.5 | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 0.499 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 0.489 | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 0.495 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 0.473 | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 0.463 | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 0.464 | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 0.459 | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 0.449 | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 0.463 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | 0.47 | +1.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.47 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.294, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.47 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2095, 2.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.1112 | 0.11 | 0.122 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.1424 | 0.13 | 0.144 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.1443 | 0.144 | 0.145 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1495 | 0.146 | 0.15 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1463 | 0.133 | 0.15 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1313 | 0.131 | 0.132 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1265 | 0.124 | 0.139 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1265 | 0.125 | 0.13 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1286 | 0.118 | 0.144 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3318 | 0.157 | 0.485 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.525 | 0.514 | 0.537 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5034 | 0.473 | 0.523 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4613 | 0.449 | 0.47 | 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 participatory democracy index in South Africa?
- Participatory democracy index in South Africa was 0.47 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest participatory democracy index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.537 in 2006.
- What is the lowest participatory democracy index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.11 in 1900.
- How does South Africa rank for participatory democracy index?
- South Africa ranks 45th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is participatory democracy index rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. 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 Participatory 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, as well as the extent to which citizens can engage in regional and local government, civil society organizations, and direct democracy.