South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Universal right to vote in practice
South Africa
2
in 2025
Zimbabwe
2
in 2025
South Africa rank
1st
Zimbabwe rank
1st
Universal right to vote in practice over time
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2 against 2 in Zimbabwe, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Zimbabwe ahead.
South Africa ranks 1st and Zimbabwe ranks 1st of 197 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and Zimbabwe in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Zimbabwe | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | Zimbabwe |
| 1980s | 0 | 2 | 2 | Zimbabwe |
| 1990s | 1.2 | 2 | 0.8 | Zimbabwe |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher universal right to vote in practice, South Africa or Zimbabwe?
- South Africa, at 2 against 2 in Zimbabwe as of 2025.
- What is the difference in universal right to vote in practice between South Africa and Zimbabwe?
- 0, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zimbabwe?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Zimbabwe rank globally for universal right to vote in practice?
- South Africa ranks 1st and Zimbabwe ranks 1st of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Universal right to vote in practice. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Indicates whether virtually all adult citizens have the right to vote in practice (score 2), only men have broad voting rights in practice (score 1), or there are no broad voting rights in practice (score 0).