Gambia vs South Africa: Competitive elections
Gambia
1
in 2025
South Africa
1
in 2025
Gambia rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Competitive elections over time
- Gambia
- South Africa
How they compare
Gambia currently reports 1 against 1 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.
Gambia ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 198 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Gambia averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Gambia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1920s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1930s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1940s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 0.7 | 0 | 0.7 | Gambia |
| 1970s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Gambia |
| 1980s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Gambia |
| 1990s | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 0 | 1 | 1 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher competitive elections, Gambia or South Africa?
- Gambia, at 1 against 1 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in competitive elections between Gambia and South Africa?
- 0, with Gambia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Gambia and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Gambia and South Africa rank globally for competitive elections?
- Gambia ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Competitive elections. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.