Papua New Guinea vs South Africa: Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote

Papua New Guinea
100.0%
in 2025
South Africa
100.0%
in 2025
Papua New Guinea rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st

Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote over time

  • Papua New Guinea
  • South Africa
020406080100190019622025

How they compare

Papua New Guinea currently reports 100.0% against 100.0% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.

Papua New Guinea ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Papua New Guinea averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade Papua New Guinea South Africa Difference Ahead
1900s 0.0% 0.2% 0.2% South Africa
1910s 0.0% 10.0% 10.0% South Africa
1920s 0.0% 10.0% 10.0% South Africa
1930s 0.0% 18.5% 18.5% South Africa
1940s 0.0% 20.0% 20.0% South Africa
1950s 45.0% 20.0% 25.0% Papua New Guinea
1960s 80.0% 20.0% 60.0% Papua New Guinea
1970s 100.0% 20.0% 80.0% Papua New Guinea
1980s 100.0% 20.0% 80.0% Papua New Guinea
1990s 100.0% 60.0% 40.0% Papua New Guinea
2000s 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
2010s 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
2020s 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of adult citizens who have the right to vote, Papua New Guinea or South Africa?
Papua New Guinea, at 100.0% against 100.0% in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in share of adult citizens who have the right to vote between Papua New Guinea and South Africa?
0.0%, with Papua New Guinea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Papua New Guinea and South Africa?
126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Papua New Guinea and South Africa rank globally for share of adult citizens who have the right to vote?
Papua New Guinea ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote
Unit
%
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,409 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Share of adult citizens which have the legal right to vote in national elections.