Governance · Southern Africa
South Africa Liberal Democracy Index
0.633as of 2025-2.3% vs 2024
V-Dem liberal democracy index — electoral democracy plus liberal checks and protections — on a 0-1 scale. Source: OWID GOVERNANCE. Updated June 19, 2026.
Trend
History
| Period | Liberal Democracy Index |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.633 |
| 2024 | 0.648 |
| 2023 | 0.602 |
| 2022 | 0.61 |
| 2021 | 0.609 |
| 2020 | 0.604 |
| 2019 | 0.623 |
| 2018 | 0.64 |
| 2017 | 0.626 |
| 2016 | 0.645 |
| 2015 | 0.649 |
| 2014 | 0.641 |
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=liberal_democracy_index" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $AFRICA_API_KEY"Liberal Democracy Index across Africa
Rank all 54 ->| Country | Liberal Democracy Index |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 0.311 |
| Kenya | 0.446 |
| Egypt | 0.115 |
| Ghana | 0.606 |
| Ethiopia | 0.1 |
| Tanzania | 0.297 |
Frequently asked questions
What is South Africa's liberal democracy score (V-Dem)?
South Africa's liberal democracy score (V-Dem) is 0.633 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 Liberal Democracy Index data via API?
Call GET /v1/data?country_code=ZA&metric_key=liberal_democracy_index with a free Africa API key to receive the full time series as JSON.
More South Africa governance data