Centralization of Political Power Index in South Africa
South Africa: Centralization of Political Power Index was 0.084 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Centralization of Political Power Index in South Africa, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.084 for centralization of political power index in 2025.
That represents a change of up 27.3% on the previous year and down 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, centralization of political power index in South Africa peaked at 0.608 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 0.066, in 2024.
South Africa ranks 147th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 126 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.519 | 0.519 | 0.519 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.525 | 0.525 | 0.525 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.525 | 0.525 | 0.525 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.525 | 0.525 | 0.525 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.5351 | 0.525 | 0.571 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.608 | 0.608 | 0.608 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.608 | 0.608 | 0.608 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.608 | 0.608 | 0.608 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5562 | 0.5 | 0.608 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2765 | 0.115 | 0.499 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.112 | 0.104 | 0.115 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1093 | 0.1 | 0.116 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0958 | 0.066 | 0.116 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.191 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.36 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6318 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.18 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.2153 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 209.92 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is centralization of political power index in South Africa?
- Centralization of political power index in South Africa was 0.084 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest centralization of political power index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.608 in 1950.
- What is the lowest centralization of political power index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.066 in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for centralization of political power index?
- South Africa ranks 147th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
- Is centralization of political power index rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Centralization of Political Power 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 the executive is unconstrained by the legislature, judiciary, electoral management body, and other oversight.