South Africa vs United States: Elected parliament and government
South Africa
1
in 2025
United States
1
in 2025
South Africa rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Elected parliament and government over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1 against 1 in United States, a difference of 0.
Across all 126 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 198 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 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 elected parliament and government, South Africa or United States?
- South Africa, at 1 against 1 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in elected parliament and government between South Africa and United States?
- 0, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for elected parliament and government?
- South Africa ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Elected parliament and government. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The variable indicates whether some citizens elect both the chief executive and the legislature.