Rule of Law - Governance score in South Africa

South Africa: Rule of Law - Governance score was 57.27 0-100 in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
57.27 0-100
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
99th
of 208 countries
All-time high
62.24 0-100
in 2006
All-time low
55.68 0-100
in 2019
Years of data
26
1996–2024

Rule of Law - Governance score in South Africa, 1996–2024

02040601996201020241996: 56.8 0-1001998: 56.8 0-1002000: 56.8 0-1002002: 58.2 0-1002003: 58.6 0-1002004: 59.2 0-1002005: 60 0-1002006: 62.2 0-1002007: 59.7 0-1002008: 58.3 0-1002009: 57.5 0-1002010: 58.1 0-1002011: 57.1 0-1002012: 57.1 0-1002013: 57.4 0-1002014: 58.2 0-1002015: 57.7 0-1002016: 58.2 0-1002017: 57.2 0-1002018: 55.8 0-1002019: 55.7 0-1002020: 55.9 0-1002021: 59 0-1002022: 57.6 0-1002023: 57.6 0-1002024: 57.3 0-100

Source: World Bank. Measured in 0-100.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 57.27 0-100 for rule of law - governance score in 2024.

The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law - governance score in South Africa peaked at 62.24 0-100 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 55.68 0-100, in 2019.

That places South Africa 99th out of 208 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

Rule of Law - Governance score in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Rule of Law - Governance score (0-100) in South Africa, 1996 to 2024.
Year 0-100 Change
1996 56.76 0-100
1998 56.82 0-100 +0.1%
2000 56.75 0-100 -0.1%
2002 58.22 0-100 +2.6%
2003 58.58 0-100 +0.6%
2004 59.25 0-100 +1.1%
2005 60.03 0-100 +1.3%
2006 62.24 0-100 +3.7%
2007 59.7 0-100 -4.1%
2008 58.29 0-100 -2.4%
2009 57.54 0-100 -1.3%
2010 58.08 0-100 +0.9%
2011 57.15 0-100 -1.6%
2012 57.14 0-100 -0.0%
2013 57.39 0-100 +0.4%
2014 58.18 0-100 +1.4%
2015 57.72 0-100 -0.8%
2016 58.17 0-100 +0.8%
2017 57.21 0-100 -1.7%
2018 55.79 0-100 -2.5%
2019 55.68 0-100 -0.2%
2020 55.91 0-100 +0.4%
2021 59.05 0-100 +5.6%
2022 57.55 0-100 -2.5%
2023 57.65 0-100 +0.2%
2024 57.27 0-100 -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 56.79 0-100 56.76 0-100 56.82 0-100 2
2000s 58.96 0-100 56.75 0-100 62.24 0-100 9
2010s 57.25 0-100 55.68 0-100 58.18 0-100 10
2020s 57.48 0-100 55.91 0-100 59.05 0-100 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 96 Kosovo 57.86 0-100 compare
  2. 96 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 57.86 0-100 compare
  3. 98 Maldives 57.73 0-100 compare
  4. 100 Bulgaria 56.39 0-100 compare
  5. 101 India 56.29 0-100 compare
  6. 102 Jamaica 55.63 0-100 compare

See the full ranking of 208 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law - governance score in South Africa?
Rule of law - governance score in South Africa was 57.27 0-100 in 2024, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest rule of law - governance score recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 62.24 0-100 in 2006.
What is the lowest rule of law - governance score recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 55.68 0-100 in 2019.
How does South Africa rank for rule of law - governance score?
South Africa ranks 99th out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
Is rule of law - governance score rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Rule of Law - Governance score (0-100). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Rule of Law - Governance score in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/rule-of-law-governance-score-0-100-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Rule of Law - Governance score (0-100)
Unit
0-100
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
208 places, 5,320 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed