What is the highest strong elected local governments index recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 0.959 in 2000.

What is the lowest strong elected local governments index recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 0.698 in 1900.

How does South Africa rank for strong elected local governments index?

South Africa ranks 78th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.

Is strong elected local governments index rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

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 Strong Elected Local Governments Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Strong Elected Local Governments Index in South Africa

Name: Strong Elected Local Governments Index in South Africa
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Africa: Strong Elected Local Governments Index was 0.88 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.88

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

78th

of 175 countries

All-time high

0.959

in 2000

All-time low

0.698

in 1900

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Strong Elected Local Governments Index in South Africa, 1900–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for strong elected local governments index in South Africa is 0.88, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of down 8.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, strong elected local governments index in South Africa peaked at 0.959 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.698, in 1900.

South Africa ranks 78th of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.698	0.698	0.698	10
1910s	0.698	0.698	0.698	10
1920s	0.698	0.698	0.698	10
1930s	0.698	0.698	0.698	10
1940s	0.698	0.698	0.698	10
1950s	0.698	0.698	0.698	10
1960s	0.698	0.698	0.698	10
1970s	0.698	0.698	0.698	10
1980s	0.698	0.698	0.698	10
1990s	0.698	0.698	0.698	10
2000s	0.959	0.959	0.959	10
2010s	0.9584	0.953	0.959	10
2020s	0.9165	0.88	0.953	6

Countries ranked near South Africa

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

Spring temperature anomalies 0.191 °C (2026)
Summer temperature anomalies 1.36 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month 0.6318 °C (2026)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 1.18 °C (2025)
Winter temperature anomalies 0.2153 °C (2025)
Consumer price index 209.92 2010 = 100 (2025)
Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is strong elected local governments index in South Africa?: Strong elected local governments index in South Africa was 0.88 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest strong elected local governments index recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.959 in 2000.
What is the lowest strong elected local governments index recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.698 in 1900.
How does South Africa rank for strong elected local governments index?: South Africa ranks 78th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
Is strong elected local governments index rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Strong Elected Local Governments Index. 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

Indicator: Strong Elected Local Governments Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 175 places, 25,933 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which elected local governments exist, and they operate without interference from local unelected bodies.