Governance · Southern Africa
South Africa Electoral Democracy Index
0.743as of 2025+1.2% vs 2024
V-Dem electoral democracy (polyarchy) index on a 0-1 scale (higher is more democratic). Source: OWID GOVERNANCE. Updated June 19, 2026.
Trend
History
| Period | Electoral Democracy Index |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.743 |
| 2024 | 0.734 |
| 2023 | 0.712 |
| 2022 | 0.718 |
| 2021 | 0.725 |
| 2020 | 0.719 |
| 2019 | 0.727 |
| 2018 | 0.747 |
| 2017 | 0.738 |
| 2016 | 0.752 |
| 2015 | 0.755 |
| 2014 | 0.758 |
Get this via API
The series above is served by the /v1/data endpoint. With a free key you get JSON for every country and indicator on this site.
curl "https://api.africa-api.com/v1/data?country_code=ZA&metric_key=electoral_democracy_index" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $AFRICA_API_KEY"Electoral Democracy Index across Africa
Rank all 54 ->| Country | Electoral Democracy Index |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 0.505 |
| Kenya | 0.563 |
| Egypt | 0.187 |
| Ghana | 0.711 |
| Ethiopia | 0.257 |
| Tanzania | 0.365 |
Frequently asked questions
What is South Africa's electoral democracy score (V-Dem)?
South Africa's electoral democracy score (V-Dem) is 0.743 as of 2025, according to OWID GOVERNANCE.
What is the source for this figure?
The figure comes from OWID GOVERNANCE and is republished by the Africa API with the retrieval date shown on this page.
How do I get South Africa Electoral Democracy Index data via API?
Call GET /v1/data?country_code=ZA&metric_key=electoral_democracy_index with a free Africa API key to receive the full time series as JSON.
More South Africa governance data