Twenty lost years
South Africa is ranked 37th out of 167 countries in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, classified as a 'flawed democracy'. The country's human development index has declined over the past 22 years, despite having a highly-regarded constitution.
South Africa is considered a 'flawed democracy' according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, ranking 37th out of 167 countries. The country has fair and free elections, but significant faults in political culture and governance. SA's human development index (HDI) has declined from 0.7300 in 1994 to 0.666 in 2015, ranking 116th globally. Most full democracies have high human development, but there's no direct correlation between the two. Countries like Hong Kong and Singapore have high HDI despite being 'flawed' democracies or authoritarian regimes. No African country has a very high HDI, but five have high HDI. Croatia, once devastated by war, now ranks 47th in HDI, showing that development is possible with effective governance.
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