Lesotho vs South Africa: Democracy
Lesotho
2
in 2025
South Africa
2
in 2025
Lesotho rank
32nd
South Africa rank
32nd
Democracy over time
- Lesotho
- South Africa
How they compare
Lesotho currently reports 2 against 2 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.
Lesotho ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Lesotho | 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 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.6 | South Africa |
| 1970s | 0.1 | 1 | 0.9 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 0.4 | 1.5 | 1.1 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1.5 | 3 | 1.5 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2 | 2.3 | 0.3 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher democracy, Lesotho or South Africa?
- Lesotho, at 2 against 2 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in democracy between Lesotho and South Africa?
- 0, with Lesotho ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Lesotho and South Africa rank globally for democracy?
- Lesotho 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.