What is rule of law in South Africa?

Rule of law in South Africa was 0.1003 in 2011, according to World Bank Institute.

What is the highest rule of law recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 0.228 in 2006.

What is the lowest rule of law recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was -0.0114 in 1996.

How does South Africa rank for rule of law?

South Africa ranks 5th out of 53 groups with data for 2011.

Is rule of law rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this South Africa data come from?

The figures come from World Bank Institute, published as part of Rule of Law (estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Rule of Law in South Africa

Name: Rule of Law in South Africa
Creator: World Bank Institute
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

South Africa: Rule of Law was 0.1003 in 2011. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2011)

0.1003

Change on year

down 1.5%

Rank

5th

of 53 groups

All-time high

0.228

in 2006

All-time low

-0.0114

in 1996

Years of data

1996–2011

Rule of Law in South Africa, 1996–2011

Source: World Bank Institute.

Analysis

In 2011, rule of law in South Africa stood at 0.1003.

The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law in South Africa peaked at 0.228 in 2006 and was at its lowest, -0.0114, in 1996.

South Africa ranks 5th of 53 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1990s	0.0731	-0.0114	0.1576	2
2000s	0.0845	0.0207	0.228	9
2010s	0.101	0.1003	0.1017	2

Countries ranked near South Africa

2 Botswana 0.6553 compare
3 Cape Verde 0.4391 compare
4 Namibia 0.1943 compare
6 Seychelles -0.0149 compare
7 Ghana -0.0567 compare
8 Tunisia -0.099 compare

See the full ranking of 53 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 rule of law in South Africa?: Rule of law in South Africa was 0.1003 in 2011, according to World Bank Institute.
What is the highest rule of law recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.228 in 2006.
What is the lowest rule of law recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was -0.0114 in 1996.
How does South Africa rank for rule of law?: South Africa ranks 5th out of 53 groups with data for 2011.
Is rule of law rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from World Bank Institute, published as part of Rule of Law (estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Rule of Law (estimate)
Source: World Bank Institute
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 53 places, 689 data points, 1996–2011
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Rule of law measures the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, in particular the quality of contract enforcement, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. Further documentation and research using the World Governance Indicators (WGI) is available at www.worldbank.org/wbi/governance.