Democratic change in South Africa
South Africa: Democratic change was 1 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
23rd
of 175 countries
All-time high
2
in 1989
All-time low
1
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Democratic change in South Africa, 1900–2025
Source: Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democratic change in South Africa is 1, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 126 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democratic change in South Africa peaked at 2 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1900.
That places South Africa 23rd out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Democratic change in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 1 | — |
| 1901 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1990 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1 | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.1 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.6 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 23 Albania 1 compare
- 23 Algeria 1 compare
- 23 Angola 1 compare
- 23 Australia 1 compare
- 23 Austria 1 compare
- 23 Azerbaijan 1 compare
- 23 Bahrain 1 compare
- 23 Bangladesh 1 compare
- 23 Barbados 1 compare
- 23 Belgium 1 compare
- 23 Bhutan 1 compare
- 23 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
- 23 Bulgaria 1 compare
- 23 Burundi 1 compare
- 23 Cameroon 1 compare
- 23 Canada 1 compare
- 23 Cape Verde 1 compare
- 23 Chad 1 compare
- 23 Chile 1 compare
- 23 China 1 compare
- 23 Colombia 1 compare
- 23 Comoros 1 compare
- 23 Congo 1 compare
- 23 Costa Rica 1 compare
- 23 Cuba 1 compare
- 23 Cyprus 1 compare
- 23 Czechia 1 compare
- 23 Democratic Republic of Congo 1 compare
- 23 Denmark 1 compare
- 23 Djibouti 1 compare
- 23 Ecuador 1 compare
- 23 Egypt 1 compare
- 23 Equatorial Guinea 1 compare
- 23 Eritrea 1 compare
- 23 Estonia 1 compare
- 23 Eswatini 1 compare
- 23 Ethiopia 1 compare
- 23 Finland 1 compare
- 23 France 1 compare
- 23 Gabon 1 compare
- 23 Germany 1 compare
- 23 Ghana 1 compare
- 23 Iceland 1 compare
- 23 Iran 1 compare
- 23 Iraq 1 compare
- 23 Ireland 1 compare
- 23 Israel 1 compare
- 23 Jamaica 1 compare
- 23 Japan 1 compare
- 23 Jordan 1 compare
- 23 Kazakhstan 1 compare
- 23 Kenya 1 compare
- 23 Laos 1 compare
- 23 Latvia 1 compare
- 23 Lebanon 1 compare
- 23 Liberia 1 compare
- 23 Lithuania 1 compare
- 23 Luxembourg 1 compare
- 23 Malawi 1 compare
- 23 Malaysia 1 compare
- 23 Malta 1 compare
- 23 Mongolia 1 compare
- 23 Morocco 1 compare
- 23 Namibia 1 compare
- 23 Netherlands 1 compare
- 23 New Zealand 1 compare
- 23 Nigeria 1 compare
- 23 North Korea 1 compare
- 23 North Macedonia 1 compare
- 23 Norway 1 compare
- 23 Oman 1 compare
- 23 Palestine 1 compare
- 23 Panama 1 compare
- 23 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
- 23 Paraguay 1 compare
- 23 Portugal 1 compare
- 23 Qatar 1 compare
- 23 Russia 1 compare
- 23 Rwanda 1 compare
- 23 Sao Tome and Principe 1 compare
- 23 Saudi Arabia 1 compare
- 23 Sierra Leone 1 compare
- 23 Singapore 1 compare
- 23 Somalia 1 compare
- 23 South Korea 1 compare
- 23 South Sudan 1 compare
- 23 Spain 1 compare
- 23 Sudan 1 compare
- 23 Suriname 1 compare
- 23 Sweden 1 compare
- 23 Switzerland 1 compare
- 23 Syria 1 compare
- 23 Taiwan 1 compare
- 23 Tajikistan 1 compare
- 23 Tanzania 1 compare
- 23 Trinidad and Tobago 1 compare
- 23 Turkey 1 compare
- 23 Turkmenistan 1 compare
- 23 Uganda 1 compare
- 23 United Arab Emirates 1 compare
- 23 Uruguay 1 compare
- 23 Uzbekistan 1 compare
- 23 Vanuatu 1 compare
- 23 Venezuela 1 compare
- 23 Vietnam 1 compare
- 23 Yemen 1 compare
- 23 Zimbabwe 1 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 democratic change in South Africa?
- Democratic change in South Africa was 1 in 2025, according to Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democratic change recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1989.
- What is the lowest democratic change recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1900.
- How does South Africa rank for democratic change?
- South Africa ranks 23rd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democratic change rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democratic change. 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
Data by Episodes of Regime Transformation and V-Dem.