Which has higher judicial checks on government index, Jamaica or South Africa?

South Africa, at 0.895 against 0.88 in Jamaica as of 2025.

What is the difference in judicial checks on government index between Jamaica and South Africa?

0.015, with South Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Jamaica and South Africa?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Judicial Checks on Government Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Jamaica vs South Africa: Judicial Checks on Government Index

Jamaica

0.88

in 2025

South Africa

0.895

in 2025

Jamaica rank

34th

South Africa rank

31st

Judicial Checks on Government Index over time

Jamaica
South Africa

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.895 against 0.88 in Jamaica, a difference of 0.015.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Jamaica ahead.

Jamaica ranks 34th and South Africa ranks 31st of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Jamaica averaged higher in 12 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Jamaica	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.77	0.469	0.301	Jamaica
1910s	0.77	0.469	0.301	Jamaica
1920s	0.77	0.469	0.301	Jamaica
1930s	0.77	0.469	0.301	Jamaica
1940s	0.77	0.4624	0.3076	Jamaica
1950s	0.7805	0.378	0.4025	Jamaica
1960s	0.8646	0.378	0.4866	Jamaica
1970s	0.883	0.378	0.505	Jamaica
1980s	0.883	0.378	0.505	Jamaica
1990s	0.883	0.6467	0.2363	Jamaica
2000s	0.883	0.8569	0.0261	Jamaica
2010s	0.8786	0.8564	0.0222	Jamaica
2020s	0.8822	0.8843	0.0022	South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher judicial checks on government index, Jamaica or South Africa?: South Africa, at 0.895 against 0.88 in Jamaica as of 2025.
What is the difference in judicial checks on government index between Jamaica and South Africa?: 0.015, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Jamaica and South Africa?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Jamaica and South Africa rank globally for judicial checks on government index?: Jamaica ranks 34th and South Africa ranks 31st of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Judicial Checks on Government Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Jamaica vs South Africa: Judicial Checks on Government Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/judicial-constraints-on-the-executive-index/jamaica/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator: Judicial Checks on Government Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,297 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 30 October 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which the executive respects the constitution, complies with the judiciary and high courts, and higher and lower courts are independent.