What is democracy in South Africa?

Democracy in South Africa was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest democracy recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 1992.

What is the lowest democracy recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1910.

How does South Africa rank for democracy?

South Africa ranks 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018.

Is democracy 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 Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Democracy in South Africa

Name: Democracy in South Africa
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Africa: Democracy was 2 in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 167 countries

All-time high

in 1992

All-time low

in 1910

Years of data

109

1910–2018

Democracy in South Africa, 1910–2018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 2 for democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 109 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in South Africa peaked at 2 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1910.

That places South Africa 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 109 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
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	10
1990s	1.8	1	2	10
2000s	2	2	2	10
2010s	2	2	2	9

Countries ranked near South Africa

See the full ranking of 168 places →

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)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in South Africa?: Democracy in South Africa was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 1992.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1910.
How does South Africa rank for democracy?: South Africa ranks 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
Is democracy 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 Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 109 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Democracy
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Identifies the political regime of a country using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).