Palau vs South Africa: Competitive elections

Palau
1
in 2025
South Africa
1
in 2025
Palau rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st

Competitive elections over time

  • Palau
  • South Africa
00.20.40.60.81190019622025

How they compare

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

The two have swapped places 2 times across 79 shared years of data; in 1947 it was South Africa ahead.

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

Across the 9 decades both report, Palau averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Palau South Africa Difference Ahead
1940s 0 1 1 South Africa
1950s 0 0 0
1960s 0 0 0
1970s 0 0 0
1980s 0.9 0 0.9 Palau
1990s 1 0.6 0.4 Palau
2000s 1 1 0
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, Palau or South Africa?
Palau, at 1 against 1 in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in competitive elections between Palau and South Africa?
0, with Palau ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Palau and South Africa?
79 years are reported by both, from 1947 to 2025.
How do Palau and South Africa rank globally for competitive elections?
Palau 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.