Judicial constraints on the executive index in South Africa

South Africa: Judicial constraints on the executive index was 0.895 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.895
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
31st
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.918
in 2024
All-time low
0.378
in 1950
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Judicial constraints on the executive index in South Africa, 1900–2025

00.20.40.60.81190019622025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.895 for judicial constraints on the executive index in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, judicial constraints on the executive index in South Africa peaked at 0.918 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.378, in 1950.

South Africa ranks 31st of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.469 0.469 0.469 10
1910s 0.469 0.469 0.469 10
1920s 0.469 0.469 0.469 10
1930s 0.469 0.469 0.469 10
1940s 0.4624 0.436 0.469 10
1950s 0.378 0.378 0.378 10
1960s 0.378 0.378 0.378 10
1970s 0.378 0.378 0.378 10
1980s 0.378 0.378 0.378 10
1990s 0.6467 0.38 0.856 10
2000s 0.8569 0.85 0.864 10
2010s 0.8564 0.846 0.874 10
2020s 0.8843 0.867 0.918 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 28 Sri Lanka 0.912 compare
  2. 29 Vanuatu 0.911 compare
  3. 30 Canada 0.898 compare
  4. 32 Gambia 0.886 compare
  5. 33 Japan 0.881 compare
  6. 34 Jamaica 0.88 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is judicial constraints on the executive index in South Africa?
Judicial constraints on the executive index in South Africa was 0.895 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest judicial constraints on the executive index recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.918 in 2024.
What is the lowest judicial constraints on the executive index recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.378 in 1950.
How does South Africa rank for judicial constraints on the executive index?
South Africa ranks 31st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is judicial constraints on the executive index rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Judicial constraints on the executive index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Judicial constraints on the executive index
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,297 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed