South Africa: Electoral democracy index
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
| South Africa |
Electoral democracy index |
|---|---|
| Latest value | 0.734 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Measure | index points |
| Data availability | 1960 - 2024 |
| Average | 0.439 |
| Min - Max | 0.159 - 0.772 |
| Source | Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) |
| Available for | Data download |
The latest value from 2024 is 0.734 index points, an increase from 0.705 index points in 2023. In comparison, the world average is 0.489 index points, based on data from 171 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 1960 to 2024 is 0.439 index points. The minimum value, 0.159 index points, was reached in 1961 while the maximum of 0.772 index points was recorded in 2012.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
| Recent values | South Africa: Electoral democracy index |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 0.734 |
| 2023 | 0.705 |
| 2022 | 0.713 |
| 2021 | 0.725 |
| 2020 | 0.723 |
| 2019 | 0.721 |
| 2018 | 0.747 |
| 2017 | 0.743 |
Definition: Measures the extent to which political power is gained and exercised through free and fair elections.
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| Related indicators | Latest | Reference | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy index | 0.734 | 2024 | index points |
| Liberal democracy index | 0.652 | 2024 | index points |
| Participatory democracy index | 0.468 | 2024 | index points |
| Deliberative democracy index | 0.652 | 2024 | index points |
| Egalitarian democracy index | 0.509 | 2024 | index points |
| Government accountability | 1.383 | 2024 | index points |
| Freedom of expression | 0.842 | 2024 | index points |
| Political corruption | 0.555 | 2024 | index points |
| Women political empowerment | 0.844 | 2024 | index points |
| Academic freedom | 0.838 | 2024 | index points |
| Clean elections index | 0.812 | 2024 | index points |
| Judicial constraints on executive | 0.914 | 2024 | index points |
| Legislative constraints on executive | 0.943 | 2024 | index points |
| Civil society participation index | 0.780 | 2024 | index points |
| Direct popular vote index | 0.020 | 2024 | index points |
| Equal protection index | 0.775 | 2024 | index points |
| Parliamentary elections | 1.00 | 2024 | 1 elections, 0 otherwise |