Iraq vs South Africa: Competitive elections

Iraq
1
in 2025
South Africa
1
in 2025
Iraq rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st

Competitive elections over time

  • Iraq
  • South Africa
00.20.40.60.81190019622025

How they compare

Iraq currently reports 1 against 1 in South Africa, a difference of 0.

Across all 106 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Iraq ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 197 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 11 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iraq South Africa Difference Ahead
1920s 0 1 1 South Africa
1930s 0 1 1 South Africa
1940s 0 1 1 South Africa
1950s 0 0 0
1960s 0 0 0
1970s 0 0 0
1980s 0 0 0
1990s 0 0.6 0.6 South Africa
2000s 0.5 1 0.5 South Africa
2010s 1 1 0
2020s 1 1 0

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher competitive elections, Iraq or South Africa?
Iraq, at 1 against 1 in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in competitive elections between Iraq and South Africa?
0, with Iraq ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iraq and South Africa?
106 years are reported by both, from 1920 to 2025.
How do Iraq and South Africa rank globally for competitive elections?
Iraq ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 197 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Competitive elections. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Competitive elections
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.