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

00.20.40.6190019622025

Source: 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 61 Indonesia 0.569 compare
  2. 61 Portugal 0.569 compare
  3. 63 Côte d'Ivoire 0.568 compare
  4. 64 North Macedonia 0.564 compare
  5. 66 Cyprus 0.563 compare
  6. 66 Timor-Leste 0.563 compare
  7. 66 Japan 0.563 compare
  8. 66 Philippines 0.563 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 participatory political institutions index in South Africa?
Participatory political institutions index in South Africa was 0.564 in 2025, according to 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Participatory political institutions index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Participatory political institutions index in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/participatory-political-institutions-index/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Participatory political institutions index
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,844 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed