New Zealand vs South Africa: Democratic change
New Zealand
1
in 2025
South Africa
1
in 2025
New Zealand rank
23rd
South Africa rank
23rd
Democratic change over time
- New Zealand
- South Africa
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 1 against 1 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
Across all 126 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
New Zealand ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 23rd of 175 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 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 | 1.1 | 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, New Zealand or South Africa?
- New Zealand, at 1 against 1 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in democratic change between New Zealand and South Africa?
- 0, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and South Africa rank globally for democratic change?
- New Zealand 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.