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Women's Political Participation Index in South Africa

South Africa: Women's Political Participation Index was 0.997 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.997
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
23rd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.998
in 2022
All-time low
0.142
in 1900
Years of data
123
1900–2025

Women's Political Participation Index in South Africa, 1900–2025

0.20.40.60.81190019622025

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

Analysis

In 2025, women's political participation index in South Africa stood at 0.997.

That represents a change of up 0.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, women's political participation index in South Africa peaked at 0.998 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.142, in 1900.

South Africa ranks 23rd of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Women's Political Participation Index in South Africa, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.142 —
1901 0.142 +0.0%
1902 0.142 +0.0%
1903 0.142 +0.0%
1904 0.142 +0.0%
1905 0.142 +0.0%
1906 0.142 +0.0%
1907 0.142 +0.0%
1908 0.142 +0.0%
1909 0.142 +0.0%
1910 0.142 +0.0%
1911 0.142 +0.0%
1912 0.142 +0.0%
1913 0.142 +0.0%
1914 0.142 +0.0%
1915 0.142 +0.0%
1916 0.142 +0.0%
1917 0.142 +0.0%
1918 0.142 +0.0%
1919 0.142 +0.0%
1920 0.142 +0.0%
1921 0.142 +0.0%
1922 0.142 +0.0%
1923 0.142 +0.0%
1924 0.142 +0.0%
1925 0.142 +0.0%
1926 0.256 +80.3%
1927 0.256 +0.0%
1928 0.256 +0.0%
1929 0.256 +0.0%
1930 0.256 +0.0%
1931 0.31 +21.1%
1932 0.31 +0.0%
1936 0.334 +7.7%
1937 0.334 +0.0%
1938 0.334 +0.0%
1939 0.334 +0.0%
1940 0.334 +0.0%
1941 0.334 +0.0%
1942 0.334 +0.0%
1943 0.321 -3.9%
1944 0.322 +0.3%
1945 0.322 +0.0%
1946 0.322 +0.0%
1947 0.322 +0.0%
1948 0.333 +3.4%
1949 0.333 +0.0%
1950 0.333 +0.0%
1951 0.333 +0.0%
1952 0.333 +0.0%
1953 0.344 +3.3%
1954 0.344 +0.0%
1955 0.344 +0.0%
1956 0.344 +0.0%
1957 0.344 +0.0%
1958 0.333 -3.2%
1959 0.331 -0.6%
1960 0.331 +0.0%
1961 0.344 +3.9%
1962 0.344 +0.0%
1963 0.344 +0.0%
1964 0.344 +0.0%
1965 0.344 +0.0%
1966 0.331 -3.8%
1967 0.331 +0.0%
1968 0.331 +0.0%
1969 0.331 +0.0%
1970 0.331 +0.0%
1971 0.331 +0.0%
1972 0.331 +0.0%
1973 0.331 +0.0%
1974 0.32 -3.3%
1975 0.32 +0.0%
1976 0.32 +0.0%
1977 0.32 +0.0%
1978 0.32 +0.0%
1979 0.32 +0.0%
1980 0.32 +0.0%
1981 0.33 +3.1%
1982 0.329 -0.3%
1983 0.329 +0.0%
1984 0.351 +6.7%
1985 0.351 +0.0%
1986 0.351 +0.0%
1987 0.35 -0.3%
1988 0.376 +7.4%
1989 0.361 -4.0%
1990 0.331 -8.3%
1991 0.331 +0.0%
1992 0.331 +0.0%
1993 0.35 +5.7%
1994 0.924 +164.0%
1995 0.953 +3.1%
1996 0.953 +0.0%
1997 0.943 -1.0%
1998 0.943 +0.0%
1999 0.966 +2.4%
2000 0.972 +0.6%
2001 0.972 +0.0%
2002 0.972 +0.0%
2003 0.966 -0.6%
2004 0.975 +0.9%
2005 0.983 +0.8%
2006 0.983 +0.0%
2007 0.983 +0.0%
2008 0.983 +0.0%
2009 0.996 +1.3%
2010 0.997 +0.1%
2011 0.996 -0.1%
2012 0.996 +0.0%
2013 0.996 +0.0%
2014 0.994 -0.2%
2015 0.994 +0.0%
2016 0.995 +0.1%
2017 0.995 +0.0%
2018 0.996 +0.1%
2019 0.997 +0.1%
2020 0.997 +0.0%
2021 0.997 +0.0%
2022 0.998 +0.1%
2023 0.996 -0.2%
2024 0.997 +0.1%
2025 0.997 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.142 0.142 0.142 10
1910s 0.142 0.142 0.142 10
1920s 0.1876 0.142 0.256 10
1930s 0.316 0.256 0.334 7
1940s 0.3277 0.321 0.334 10
1950s 0.3383 0.331 0.344 10
1960s 0.3375 0.331 0.344 10
1970s 0.3244 0.32 0.331 10
1980s 0.3448 0.32 0.376 10
1990s 0.7025 0.331 0.966 10
2000s 0.9785 0.966 0.996 10
2010s 0.9956 0.994 0.997 10
2020s 0.997 0.996 0.998 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 23 Chile 0.997 compare
  2. 23 United Kingdom 0.997 compare
  3. 26 Germany 0.996 compare
  4. 26 Peru 0.996 compare
  5. 26 Tanzania 0.996 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More gender data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is women's political participation index in South Africa?
Women's political participation index in South Africa was 0.997 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest women's political participation index recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.998 in 2022.
What is the lowest women's political participation index recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.142 in 1900.
How does South Africa rank for women's political participation index?
South Africa ranks 23rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is women's political participation index rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Women's Political Participation Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Relationships involving this indicator

Comparisons with other indicators across countries. Each was re-measured with population and national income held constant, so a relationship that only reflected country size is not listed here.

All correlations →

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Women's Political Participation Index in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/women-political-participation-index/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Women's Political Participation Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 26,373 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which women are represented in the legislature and have an equal share of political power.