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Policy profile on 12 axes

How South Africa Is Governed

South Africa is a federal state that scores 0.63 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 34% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is abolished and same-sex marriage is legal. Below: the laws, institutions and public spending of South Africa, scored on the same 12 axes as the test, with every indicator and source.

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Policy profile

The 12 axes, indicator by indicator

This profile describes the country's policy regime (laws, institutions and public spending) from published indices, not the views of its people or its current leaders. Data as of October 2026; each value shows its own year.

Ownership-0.15PublicPrivate4 indicators and sources
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): State controls major firms in several sectors beyond utilities (energy, banking, telecom, mining, transport) (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Property Rights (0-100): 48.8 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Investment Freedom (0-100): 40 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Financial Freedom (0-100): 40 (2026). Source
Markets+0.20PlannedFree5 indicators and sources
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Business Freedom (0-100): 67.9 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Labor Freedom (0-100): 70.8 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Monetary Freedom (0-100): 75.8 (2026). Source
  • Regulatory Quality, estimate (-2.5 to 2.5): -0.07 (2025). Source
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): State controls major firms in several sectors beyond utilities (energy, banking, telecom, mining, transport) (2026). Source
Welfare-0.05SharedSelf-reliant3 indicators and sources
  • General government total expenditure (% of GDP): 34.12 (2025). Source
  • Domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP): 5.49 (2023). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Tax Burden (0-100): 65.4 (2026). Source
Authority-0.60DemocraticStrong leader2 indicators and sources
  • Liberal Democracy Index (0-1): 0.63 (2025). Source
  • Judicial constraints on the executive (0-1): 0.9 (2025). Source
Security-0.45LibertyOrder4 indicators and sources
  • Freedom in the World civil liberties score (0-60): 47 (2025). Source
  • World Press Freedom Index score (0-100): 77.95 (2026). Source
  • Death penalty status: Abolished for all crimes (2025). Source
  • Prison population per 100,000 people: 260 (2025). Source
Structure-0.85LocalCentral2 indicators and sources
  • Territorial form of the state: Federation (2025). Constitution of 1996 with nine provinces; often classed as quasi-federal. Source
  • Strong elected regional governments index (0-1): 0.86 (2025). Source
Morality-0.75ProgressiveTraditional3 indicators and sources
  • Same-sex marriage law (0 marriage, 1 civil union or partnership, 2 no recognition, 3 constitutional or statutory ban): Same-sex marriage legal (2026). Source
  • Abortion law: On request (within a gestational limit) (2025). Source
  • Women, Business and the Law: Legal Framework Index (0-100): 76.35 (2025). Source
Religion-0.75SecularReligious2 indicators and sources
  • Religion and the state: Separation: no official or funded religion (2025). Source
  • Blasphemy or religious-insult law in force: None (2025). Source
Technology-0.55EmbraceCaution3 indicators and sources
  • Research and development expenditure (% of GDP): 0.61 (2022). Source
  • Nuclear power policy: Building or officially planning new reactors (2025). Source
  • Genetically modified crop cultivation: GM crops grown commercially (2025). Source
Culture-0.25MulticulturalNational identity4 indicators and sources
  • International migrant stock (% of population): 4.11 (2024). Source
  • Citizenship by birth in the territory: Conditional (a parent's residence or status, or at majority) (2025). Source
  • Residence required for ordinary naturalization (years; 0 = no ordinary route): 5 years (2025). Five years after permanent residence. Source
  • Dual citizenship for naturalizing adults: Allowed (2025). Source
Trade-0.10GlobalProtected4 indicators and sources
  • Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products (%): 4.66 (2022). Source
  • Tariff rate, applied, simple mean, all products (%): 7.31 (2022). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Trade Freedom (0-100): 68.8 (2026). Source
  • Trade (exports + imports) (% of GDP): 60.91 (2025). Source
Foreign policy-0.75CooperationStrength5 indicators and sources
  • Military expenditure (% of GDP): 0.74 (2025). Source
  • Military conscription: None: volunteer forces or no military (2025). Source
  • Nuclear weapons status (0 none, 1 considers, 2 pursues, 3 possesses): No nuclear weapons program (2023). Source
  • Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: State party (2026). Source
  • Collective defense commitments: None, or formal neutrality outside any pact (2026). Source

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Policy neighbours

Governed most like South Africa

Every other country with a profile, tinted by how close its laws, institutions and public spending are to those of South Africa on the same 12 axes. The percentage uses the 12 Axes match formula.

  1. 1Brazil86%
  2. 2Uruguay83%
  3. 3Argentina82%
  4. 4Canada82%
  5. 5Colombia81%
Least similarIran39%
World map of countries by how similar their policy regime is to South AfricaClosest: 1. Brazil 86%, 2. Uruguay 83%, 3. Argentina 82%, 4. Canada 82%, 5. Colombia 81%, 6. Czechia 80%, 7. South Korea 80%, 8. Spain 80%, 9. Australia 79%, 10. Belgium 79%. Least similar: Iran 39%. Every country is in the list after the map.South Africa
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  • 65 to 74%
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Figures from South Africa

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FAQ

South Africa: questions

How is South Africa governed, on the 12 axes?

South Africa is a federal state that scores 0.63 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 34% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is abolished and same-sex marriage is legal. Its policy regime leans furthest toward Local on Structure (-0.85), Cooperation on Foreign policy (-0.75) and Progressive on Morality (-0.75), on a scale from -1 to +1.

Which countries are governed most like South Africa?

On the same 12 axes, the closest policy regimes are Brazil (86%), Uruguay (83%) and Argentina (82%). The furthest is Iran (39%). Matches use the same formula as the 12 Axes test.

Where does the data on South Africa come from?

From 41 indicators dated 2022 to 2026, published by V-Dem, Freedom House, the Heritage Foundation, the IMF, the OECD, the World Bank, SIPRI, Reporters Without Borders, the World Prison Brief, UN DESA and others. Among them: a press freedom score of 78 out of 100 (RSF, 2026), 260 prisoners per 100,000 people (2025), military spending of 0.7% of GDP (SIPRI, 2025) and 4.1% of residents born abroad (UN DESA, 2024). Every value, year and source is listed in the profile above.

Does the profile describe what people in South Africa think?

No. It describes the policy regime: laws, institutions and public spending. It does not measure public opinion or the speeches of the current government. To see which country is governed closest to your own views, take the 12 Axes test and open the country match on your result.

Which political figures from South Africa are on PoliticalTests?

So far Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, each placed on the 12 axes of the 12 Axes Political Test from their own speeches, writings and record, with sources on the profile page. More figures are added over time.

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