North Korea vs South Africa: Democratic change
North Korea
1
in 2025
South Africa
1
in 2025
North Korea rank
23rd
South Africa rank
23rd
Democratic change over time
- North Korea
- South Africa
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 1 against 1 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
Across all 81 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
North Korea ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 23rd of 175 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1 | 2 | 1 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1 | 1.6 | 0.6 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher democratic change, North Korea or South Africa?
- North Korea, at 1 against 1 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in democratic change between North Korea and South Africa?
- 0, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and South Africa?
- 81 years are reported by both, from 1945 to 2025.
- How do North Korea and South Africa rank globally for democratic change?
- North Korea ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 23rd of 175 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Democratic change. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Data by Episodes of Regime Transformation and V-Dem.