Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate in South Africa

South Africa: Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate was 0.6073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
0.6073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Change on year
up 8.0%
World rank
61st
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.7125 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2006
All-time low
0.4614 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 1998
Years of data
26
1996–2024

Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate in South Africa, 1996–2024

00.20.40.60.81996201020241996: 0.517 approx. -2.5 to +2.51998: 0.461 approx. -2.5 to +2.52000: 0.513 approx. -2.5 to +2.52002: 0.512 approx. -2.5 to +2.52003: 0.59 approx. -2.5 to +2.52004: 0.659 approx. -2.5 to +2.52005: 0.679 approx. -2.5 to +2.52006: 0.713 approx. -2.5 to +2.52007: 0.656 approx. -2.5 to +2.52008: 0.606 approx. -2.5 to +2.52009: 0.626 approx. -2.5 to +2.52010: 0.625 approx. -2.5 to +2.52011: 0.557 approx. -2.5 to +2.52012: 0.538 approx. -2.5 to +2.52013: 0.531 approx. -2.5 to +2.52014: 0.557 approx. -2.5 to +2.52015: 0.591 approx. -2.5 to +2.52016: 0.571 approx. -2.5 to +2.52017: 0.539 approx. -2.5 to +2.52018: 0.531 approx. -2.5 to +2.52019: 0.491 approx. -2.5 to +2.52020: 0.508 approx. -2.5 to +2.52021: 0.641 approx. -2.5 to +2.52022: 0.565 approx. -2.5 to +2.52023: 0.562 approx. -2.5 to +2.52024: 0.607 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.

Analysis

In 2024, voice and accountability - governance estimate in South Africa stood at 0.6073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5.

That represents a change of up 8.0% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, voice and accountability - governance estimate in South Africa peaked at 0.7125 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.4614 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 1998.

South Africa ranks 61st of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in South Africa, 1996 to 2024.
Year approx. -2.5 to +2.5 Change
1996 0.5175 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
1998 0.4614 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -10.8%
2000 0.5127 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +11.1%
2002 0.5125 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.0%
2003 0.5898 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +15.1%
2004 0.6586 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +11.7%
2005 0.6793 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +3.1%
2006 0.7125 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +4.9%
2007 0.6565 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -7.9%
2008 0.6062 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -7.7%
2009 0.6261 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +3.3%
2010 0.6249 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.2%
2011 0.5571 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -10.8%
2012 0.5381 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -3.4%
2013 0.5305 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.4%
2014 0.5571 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +5.0%
2015 0.5907 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +6.0%
2016 0.5714 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -3.3%
2017 0.5392 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -5.6%
2018 0.5306 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.6%
2019 0.4912 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -7.4%
2020 0.5078 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +3.4%
2021 0.6405 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +26.1%
2022 0.5646 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -11.8%
2023 0.5622 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.4%
2024 0.6073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +8.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.4894 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.4614 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.5175 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 2
2000s 0.6171 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.5125 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.7125 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 9
2010s 0.5531 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.4912 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.6249 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 10
2020s 0.5765 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.5078 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.6405 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 58 Croatia 0.6487 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  2. 59 Seychelles 0.6344 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  3. 60 Saint Lucia 0.6113 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  4. 62 Naoero 0.5991 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  5. 63 Bahamas 0.5531 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  6. 64 Antigua and Barbuda 0.5118 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare

See the full ranking of 206 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is voice and accountability - governance estimate in South Africa?
Voice and accountability - governance estimate in South Africa was 0.6073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024, according to The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
What is the highest voice and accountability - governance estimate recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.7125 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2006.
What is the lowest voice and accountability - governance estimate recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4614 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1998.
How does South Africa rank for voice and accountability - governance estimate?
South Africa ranks 61st out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
Is voice and accountability - governance estimate rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), published as part of Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/voice-and-accountability-governance-estimate-approx-2-5-to-2-5/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5)
Unit
approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Source
The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
206 places, 5,259 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

Voice and Accountability (VA) captures perceptions of the extent to which citizens can participate in selecting their government including electoral integrity, and of accountability mechanisms for citizens—reflected in the ability to access information, governmental oversight bodies, and a robust traditional/digital media landscape. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.