Democracy in South Africa
South Africa: Democracy was 6 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
42nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
8
in 1996
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Democracy in South Africa, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, democracy in South Africa stood at 6.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in South Africa peaked at 8 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places South Africa 42nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 3 | — |
| 1911 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 0 | — |
| 1993 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | 3 | — |
| 1995 | 7 | +133.3% |
| 1996 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 1997 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 | -12.5% |
| 2014 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 6 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 6 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3, 2.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1920s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1930s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1940s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1950s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.2 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| 2000s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 42 Argentina 6 compare
- 42 Armenia 6 compare
- 42 Bolivia 6 compare
- 42 Botswana 6 compare
- 42 Bulgaria 6 compare
- 42 Cape Verde 6 compare
- 42 Colombia 6 compare
- 42 Croatia 6 compare
- 42 Dominican Republic 6 compare
- 42 East Timor 6 compare
- 42 Ecuador 6 compare
- 42 Ghana 6 compare
- 42 Greece 6 compare
- 42 Guatemala 6 compare
- 42 Jamaica 6 compare
- 42 Lesotho 6 compare
- 42 Liberia 6 compare
- 42 Nepal 6 compare
- 42 Panama 6 compare
- 42 Paraguay 6 compare
- 42 Peru 6 compare
- 42 Poland 6 compare
- 42 Portugal 6 compare
- 42 Romania 6 compare
- 42 Sao Tome and Principe 6 compare
- 42 Senegal 6 compare
- 42 Slovakia 6 compare
- 42 Slovenia 6 compare
- 42 Solomon Islands 6 compare
- 42 Sri Lanka 6 compare
- 42 Suriname 6 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 democracy in South Africa?
- Democracy in South Africa was 6 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8 in 1996.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does South Africa rank for democracy?
- South Africa ranks 42nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Democracy. 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
Political regime of a country using the Regimes of the World classification by political scientists Anna Lührmann, Marcus Tannenberg and Staffan Lindberg, including ambiguous categories.