Sao Tome and Principe vs South Africa: Democracy
Democracy over time
- Sao Tome and Principe
- South Africa
How they compare
Sao Tome and Principe currently reports 7 against 7 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.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 198 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Sao Tome and Principe averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sao Tome and Principe | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 4 | 4 | South Africa |
| 1920s | 0 | 4 | 4 | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0 | 4 | 4 | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0 | 4 | 4 | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0 | 3 | 3 | South Africa |
| 1960s | 0 | 3 | 3 | South Africa |
| 1970s | 0.5 | 3 | 2.5 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1 | 3 | 2 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 5.5 | 5.4 | 0.1 | Sao Tome and Principe |
| 2000s | 6 | 7 | 1 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 7 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 7 | 7 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher democracy, Sao Tome and Principe or South Africa?
- Sao Tome and Principe, at 7 against 7 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in democracy between Sao Tome and Principe and South Africa?
- 0, with Sao Tome and Principe ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sao Tome and Principe and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Sao Tome and Principe and South Africa rank globally for democracy?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies (score 0), one-party autocracies (score 1), multi-party autocracies without elected executive (score 2), multi-party autocracies (score 3), exclusive democracies (score 4), male democracies (score 5), electoral democracies (score 6), and full democracies (score 7).