Malawi vs South Africa: Competitive elections
Malawi
1
in 2025
South Africa
1
in 2025
Malawi rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Competitive elections over time
- Malawi
- South Africa
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 1 against 1 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
Across all 126 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Malawi ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 198 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | 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 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher competitive elections, Malawi or South Africa?
- Malawi, at 1 against 1 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in competitive elections between Malawi and South Africa?
- 0, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for competitive elections?
- Malawi 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.