Which has higher clientelism index, South Africa or Taiwan?

South Africa, at 0.259 against 0.236 in Taiwan as of 2025.

What is the difference in clientelism index between South Africa and Taiwan?

0.023, with South Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Taiwan?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

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.

South Africa vs Taiwan: Clientelism Index

South Africa

0.259

in 2025

Taiwan

0.236

in 2025

South Africa rank

132nd

Taiwan rank

134th

Clientelism Index over time

South Africa
Taiwan

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.259 against 0.236 in Taiwan, a difference of 0.023.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Taiwan's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Taiwan ahead.

South Africa ranks 132nd and Taiwan ranks 134th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and Taiwan in 11.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Africa	Taiwan	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.382	0.915	0.533	Taiwan
1910s	0.3393	0.915	0.5757	Taiwan
1920s	0.3454	0.915	0.5696	Taiwan
1930s	0.3345	0.9231	0.5886	Taiwan
1940s	0.3595	0.8607	0.5012	Taiwan
1950s	0.4435	0.757	0.3135	Taiwan
1960s	0.4426	0.7573	0.3147	Taiwan
1970s	0.4452	0.8401	0.3949	Taiwan
1980s	0.4541	0.7861	0.332	Taiwan
1990s	0.3451	0.544	0.1989	Taiwan
2000s	0.3045	0.389	0.0845	Taiwan
2010s	0.3283	0.3012	0.0271	South Africa
2020s	0.2648	0.2382	0.0267	South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher clientelism index, South Africa or Taiwan?: South Africa, at 0.259 against 0.236 in Taiwan as of 2025.
What is the difference in clientelism index between South Africa and Taiwan?: 0.023, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Taiwan?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do South Africa and Taiwan rank globally for clientelism index?: South Africa ranks 132nd and Taiwan ranks 134th 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

Indicator: Clientelism Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 24,366 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.