Botswana vs South Africa: Democracy
Botswana
2
in 2025
South Africa
2
in 2025
Botswana rank
32nd
South Africa rank
32nd
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 4 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.
Botswana ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Botswana averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1920s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1960s | 0.8 | 1 | 0.2 | South Africa |
| 1970s | 2 | 1 | 1 | Botswana |
| 1980s | 2 | 0.4 | 1.6 | Botswana |
| 1990s | 2.1 | 1.5 | 0.6 | Botswana |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 3 | 2.3 | 0.7 | Botswana |
| 2020s | 2.17 | 2 | 0.1667 | Botswana |
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 2025.
- 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?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Botswana and South Africa rank globally for democracy?
- Botswana ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (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 by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.