Panama vs South Africa: Competitive elections
Panama
1
in 2025
South Africa
1
in 2025
Panama rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Competitive elections over time
- Panama
- South Africa
How they compare
Panama currently reports 1 against 1 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 123 shared years of data; in 1903 it was South Africa ahead.
Panama ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 197 regions.
Across the 13 decades both report, Panama averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Panama | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1920s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0.4 | 1 | 0.6 | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 0.8 | 0 | 0.8 | Panama |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | Panama |
| 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, Panama or South Africa?
- Panama, at 1 against 1 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in competitive elections between Panama and South Africa?
- 0, with Panama ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Panama and South Africa?
- 123 years are reported by both, from 1903 to 2025.
- How do Panama and South Africa rank globally for competitive elections?
- Panama ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 197 regions.
- 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
Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.