Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in South Africa

South Africa: Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate was -0.2259 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
-0.2259 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Change on year
down 22.3%
World rank
121st
of 204 countries
All-time high
0.6157 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 1996
All-time low
-0.2259 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2024
Years of data
26
1996–2024

Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in South Africa, 1996–2024

-0.200.20.40.61996201020241996: 0.616 approx. -2.5 to +2.51998: 0.306 approx. -2.5 to +2.52000: 0.473 approx. -2.5 to +2.52002: 0.429 approx. -2.5 to +2.52003: 0.457 approx. -2.5 to +2.52004: 0.47 approx. -2.5 to +2.52005: 0.493 approx. -2.5 to +2.52006: 0.382 approx. -2.5 to +2.52007: 0.332 approx. -2.5 to +2.52008: 0.305 approx. -2.5 to +2.52009: 0.376 approx. -2.5 to +2.52010: 0.272 approx. -2.5 to +2.52011: 0.305 approx. -2.5 to +2.52012: 0.316 approx. -2.5 to +2.52013: 0.333 approx. -2.5 to +2.52014: 0.331 approx. -2.5 to +2.52015: 0.244 approx. -2.5 to +2.52016: 0.201 approx. -2.5 to +2.52017: 0.223 approx. -2.5 to +2.52018: 0.148 approx. -2.5 to +2.52019: 0.189 approx. -2.5 to +2.52020: 0.095 approx. -2.5 to +2.52021: 0.042 approx. -2.5 to +2.52022: -0.002 approx. -2.5 to +2.52023: -0.185 approx. -2.5 to +2.52024: -0.226 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.

Analysis

South Africa recorded -0.2259 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 for government effectiveness - governance estimate in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 22.3% on the previous year and down 168.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government effectiveness - governance estimate in South Africa peaked at 0.6157 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1996 and was at its lowest, -0.2259 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2024.

That places South Africa 121st out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.4609 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.3061 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.6157 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 2
2000s 0.4132 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.3051 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.4932 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 9
2010s 0.2564 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.1481 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.3335 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 10
2020s -0.0549 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.2259 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.0953 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 118 Mexico -0.2199 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  2. 119 Maldives -0.2213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  3. 120 Brazil -0.224 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  4. 122 Tunisia -0.2393 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  5. 123 Algeria -0.2512 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  6. 124 Puerto Rico -0.2552 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare

See the full ranking of 204 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is government effectiveness - governance estimate in South Africa?
Government effectiveness - governance estimate in South Africa was -0.2259 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024, according to The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
What is the highest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.6157 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1996.
What is the lowest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was -0.2259 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024.
How does South Africa rank for government effectiveness - governance estimate?
South Africa ranks 121st out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
Is government effectiveness - governance estimate rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 168.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), published as part of Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-effectiveness-governance-estimate-approx-2-5-to-2-5/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5)
Unit
approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Source
The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
204 places, 5,142 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

Government Effectiveness (GE) captures perceptions of the quality of public services, the civil service, policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of a government’s decisions. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.