Statizoid

Transparent laws in South Africa

South Africa: Transparent laws was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 176 countries
All-time high
1
in 1994
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Transparent laws in South Africa, 1900–2025

00.20.40.60.81190019622025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for transparent laws in South Africa is 1, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.

Over the whole period, transparent laws in South Africa peaked at 1 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.

That places South Africa 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0 0 0 10
1950s 0 0 0 10
1960s 0 0 0 10
1970s 0 0 0 10
1980s 0 0 0 10
1990s 0.6 0 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 0.3 0 1 10
2020s 0.3333 0 1 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Australia 1 compare
  2. 1 Austria 1 compare
  3. 1 Barbados 1 compare
  4. 1 Belgium 1 compare
  5. 1 Botswana 1 compare
  6. 1 Brazil 1 compare
  7. 1 Canada 1 compare
  8. 1 Chile 1 compare
  9. 1 Costa Rica 1 compare
  10. 1 Cyprus 1 compare
  11. 1 Czechia 1 compare
  12. 1 Denmark 1 compare
  13. 1 Estonia 1 compare
  14. 1 Finland 1 compare
  15. 1 France 1 compare
  16. 1 Gabon 1 compare
  17. 1 Germany 1 compare
  18. 1 Ghana 1 compare
  19. 1 Iceland 1 compare
  20. 1 Italy 1 compare
  21. 1 Jamaica 1 compare
  22. 1 Japan 1 compare
  23. 1 Latvia 1 compare
  24. 1 Lithuania 1 compare
  25. 1 Malawi 1 compare
  26. 1 Namibia 1 compare
  27. 1 Netherlands 1 compare
  28. 1 New Zealand 1 compare
  29. 1 Norway 1 compare
  30. 1 Senegal 1 compare
  31. 1 Seychelles 1 compare
  32. 1 Singapore 1 compare
  33. 1 South Korea 1 compare
  34. 1 Spain 1 compare
  35. 1 Sweden 1 compare
  36. 1 Switzerland 1 compare
  37. 1 Taiwan 1 compare
  38. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 compare
  39. 1 United Arab Emirates 1 compare
  40. 1 Uruguay 1 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is transparent laws in South Africa?
Transparent laws in South Africa was 1 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest transparent laws recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1994.
What is the lowest transparent laws recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
How does South Africa rank for transparent laws?
South Africa ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
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 Transparent laws. 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
Transparent laws
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,229 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of whether laws are transparent, coherent, and relatively stable, and their enforcement predictable.