Botswana vs South Africa: Democracy
Botswana
2
in 2018
South Africa
2
in 2018
Botswana rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Democracy over time
- Botswana
- South Africa
How they compare
Botswana currently reports 2 against 2 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 53 shared years of data; in 1966 it was Botswana ahead.
Botswana ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 168 countries.
Botswana has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2 | 1 | 1 | Botswana |
| 1970s | 2 | 1 | 1 | Botswana |
| 1980s | 2 | 1 | 1 | Botswana |
| 1990s | 2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | Botswana |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher democracy, Botswana or South Africa?
- Botswana, at 2 against 2 in South Africa as of 2018.
- What is the difference in democracy between Botswana and South Africa?
- 0, with Botswana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and South Africa?
- 53 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 2018.
- How do Botswana and South Africa rank globally for democracy?
- Botswana ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 168 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Polity 5 (2020) – 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 using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).