Malta vs South Africa: Democracy
Malta
2
in 2025
South Africa
2
in 2025
Malta rank
32nd
South Africa rank
32nd
Democracy over time
- Malta
- South Africa
How they compare
Malta 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.
Malta ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 32nd of 176 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Malta averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malta | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1920s | 0.9 | 1 | 0.1 | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0.2 | 1 | 0.8 | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 | South Africa |
| 1950s | 1.6 | 1 | 0.6 | Malta |
| 1960s | 1.5 | 1 | 0.5 | Malta |
| 1970s | 2 | 1 | 1 | Malta |
| 1980s | 2 | 0.4 | 1.6 | Malta |
| 1990s | 2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | Malta |
| 2000s | 2 | 3 | 1 | 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, Malta or South Africa?
- Malta, at 2 against 2 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in democracy between Malta and South Africa?
- 0, with Malta ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malta and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Malta and South Africa rank globally for democracy?
- Malta 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.