Panama vs South Africa: Rule of law index
Panama
0.692
in 2025
South Africa
0.694
in 2025
Panama rank
72nd
South Africa rank
70th
Rule of law index over time
- Panama
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 0.694 against 0.692 in Panama, a difference of 0.002.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 123 shared years of data; in 1903 it was South Africa ahead.
Panama ranks 72nd and South Africa ranks 70th of 176 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Panama averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Panama | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.3341 | 0.405 | 0.0709 | South Africa |
| 1910s | 0.3393 | 0.405 | 0.0657 | South Africa |
| 1920s | 0.371 | 0.405 | 0.034 | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0.375 | 0.405 | 0.03 | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0.3867 | 0.4117 | 0.025 | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0.4133 | 0.384 | 0.0293 | Panama |
| 1960s | 0.3919 | 0.39 | 0.0019 | Panama |
| 1970s | 0.272 | 0.386 | 0.114 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 0.1754 | 0.3973 | 0.2219 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 0.5747 | 0.6284 | 0.0537 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 0.5919 | 0.7682 | 0.1763 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 0.6007 | 0.6999 | 0.0992 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 0.6462 | 0.7052 | 0.059 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rule of law index, Panama or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 0.694 against 0.692 in Panama as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rule of law index between Panama and South Africa?
- 0.002, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Panama and South Africa?
- 123 years are reported by both, from 1903 to 2025.
- How do Panama and South Africa rank globally for rule of law index?
- Panama ranks 72nd and South Africa ranks 70th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Rule of law index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.