Participatory Political Institutions Index in South Africa
South Africa: Participatory Political Institutions Index was 0.564 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.564
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
64th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.657
in 1996
All-time low
0.351
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Participatory Political Institutions Index in South Africa, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.564 for participatory political institutions index in 2025.
The figure is down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participatory political institutions index in South Africa peaked at 0.657 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.351, in 1900.
That places South Africa 64th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Participatory Political Institutions Index in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.351 | — |
| 1901 | 0.351 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.351 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.351 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.351 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.351 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.351 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.351 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.351 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.392 | +11.7% |
| 1910 | 0.392 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.399 | +1.8% |
| 1912 | 0.399 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.404 | +1.3% |
| 1914 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.404 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.41 | +1.5% |
| 1931 | 0.414 | +1.0% |
| 1932 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.414 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.408 | -1.4% |
| 1948 | 0.388 | -4.9% |
| 1949 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.388 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.421 | +8.5% |
| 1961 | 0.398 | -5.5% |
| 1962 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.398 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.415 | +4.3% |
| 1978 | 0.415 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.415 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.419 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 0.419 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.419 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.452 | +7.9% |
| 1984 | 0.419 | -7.3% |
| 1985 | 0.419 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.361 | -13.8% |
| 1987 | 0.361 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.361 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.361 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.452 | +25.2% |
| 1991 | 0.452 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.486 | +7.5% |
| 1993 | 0.519 | +6.8% |
| 1994 | 0.655 | +26.2% |
| 1995 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.657 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 0.653 | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 0.641 | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 0.637 | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 0.656 | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 0.652 | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.648 | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.644 | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 0.64 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 0.636 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 0.635 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.627 | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 0.623 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 0.619 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 0.615 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 0.611 | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 0.611 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.607 | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.595 | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 0.584 | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 0.584 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.584 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.564 | -3.4% |
| 2024 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.564 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.524, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.564 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.4895, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.3551 | 0.351 | 0.392 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.4018 | 0.392 | 0.404 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.404 | 0.404 | 0.404 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.4136 | 0.41 | 0.414 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.4082 | 0.388 | 0.414 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.388 | 0.388 | 0.388 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.4003 | 0.398 | 0.421 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.4031 | 0.398 | 0.415 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3991 | 0.361 | 0.452 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5807 | 0.452 | 0.657 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.638 | 0.619 | 0.656 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6074 | 0.595 | 0.615 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.574 | 0.564 | 0.584 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 61 Indonesia 0.569 compare
- 61 Portugal 0.569 compare
- 63 Cote d'Ivoire 0.568 compare
- 64 North Macedonia 0.564 compare
- 66 Cyprus 0.563 compare
- 66 East Timor 0.563 compare
- 66 Japan 0.563 compare
- 66 Philippines 0.563 compare
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is participatory political institutions index in South Africa?
- Participatory political institutions index in South Africa was 0.564 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest participatory political institutions index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.657 in 1996.
- What is the lowest participatory political institutions index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.351 in 1900.
- How does South Africa rank for participatory political institutions index?
- South Africa ranks 64th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is participatory political institutions index rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Participatory Political Institutions Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which citizens can engage in regional and local government, civil society organizations, and direct democracy.