Botswana vs South Africa: Meaningful democratic electoral institutions
Botswana
1
in 2025
South Africa
1
in 2025
Botswana rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Meaningful democratic electoral institutions over time
- Botswana
- South Africa
How they compare
Botswana currently reports 1 against 1 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.
Botswana ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Botswana has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 0.3 | 0 | 0.3 | Botswana |
| 1970s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Botswana |
| 1980s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Botswana |
| 1990s | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | Botswana |
| 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 meaningful democratic electoral institutions, Botswana or South Africa?
- Botswana, at 1 against 1 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in meaningful democratic electoral institutions between Botswana and South Africa?
- 0, with Botswana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Botswana and South Africa rank globally for meaningful democratic electoral institutions?
- Botswana ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Meaningful democratic electoral institutions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of whether the country is meaningfully an electoral democracy. This includes the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.