Barbados vs South Africa: Clientelism Index
Barbados
0.28
in 2025
South Africa
0.259
in 2025
Barbados rank
131st
South Africa rank
132nd
Clientelism Index over time
- Barbados
- South Africa
How they compare
Barbados currently reports 0.28 against 0.259 in South Africa, a difference of 0.021.
That makes Barbados's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Barbados ahead.
Barbados ranks 131st and South Africa ranks 132nd of 176 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Barbados averaged higher in 8 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Barbados | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.817 | 0.382 | 0.435 | Barbados |
| 1910s | 0.817 | 0.3393 | 0.4777 | Barbados |
| 1920s | 0.817 | 0.3454 | 0.4716 | Barbados |
| 1930s | 0.817 | 0.3345 | 0.4825 | Barbados |
| 1940s | 0.8074 | 0.3595 | 0.4479 | Barbados |
| 1950s | 0.5983 | 0.4435 | 0.1548 | Barbados |
| 1960s | 0.5186 | 0.4426 | 0.076 | Barbados |
| 1970s | 0.4383 | 0.4452 | 0.0069 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 0.3457 | 0.4541 | 0.1084 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 0.2617 | 0.3451 | 0.0834 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 0.2206 | 0.3045 | 0.0839 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 0.2771 | 0.3283 | 0.0512 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 0.2768 | 0.2648 | 0.012 | Barbados |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher clientelism index, Barbados or South Africa?
- Barbados, at 0.28 against 0.259 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in clientelism index between Barbados and South Africa?
- 0.021, with Barbados ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Barbados and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Barbados and South Africa rank globally for clientelism index?
- Barbados ranks 131st and South Africa ranks 132nd of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Clientelism Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Composite index measuring the extent to which politics hinge on clientelistic exchanges of targeted goods, jobs, or cash for electoral support; higher values denote more pervasive clientelism.