South Africa vs Spain: Democracy

South Africa
2
in 2018
Spain
2
in 2018
South Africa rank
1st
Spain rank
1st

Democracy over time

  • South Africa
  • Spain
00.511.52180019092018

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 2 against 2 in Spain, a difference of 0.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 109 shared years of data; in 1910 it was Spain ahead.

South Africa ranks 1st and Spain ranks 1st of 168 countries.

Across the 11 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 5 and Spain in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Spain Difference Ahead
1910s 1 2 1 Spain
1920s 1 0.6 0.4 South Africa
1930s 1 1.7 0.7 Spain
1940s 1 0 1 South Africa
1950s 1 0 1 South Africa
1960s 1 0 1 South Africa
1970s 1 0.7 0.3 South Africa
1980s 1 2 1 Spain
1990s 1.8 2 0.2 Spain
2000s 2 2 0 —
2010s 2 2 0 —

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher democracy, South Africa or Spain?
South Africa, at 2 against 2 in Spain as of 2018.
What is the difference in democracy between South Africa and Spain?
0, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Spain?
109 years are reported by both, from 1910 to 2018.
How do South Africa and Spain rank globally for democracy?
South Africa ranks 1st and Spain 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.

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South Africa vs Spain: Democracy. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-regime-polity/south-africa/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
Democracy
Source
Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed

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).