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How it is governed

South Africa on the 12 axes

MLPGFree-Market CosmopolitanOpen markets, open minds, open borders for ideas.

South Africa is typed MLPG, the Free-Market Cosmopolitan. Structure leans Local, its strongest pull, while Morality, Religion and Foreign policy lean Progressive, Secular and Cooperation. The state is separated from religion (2025), same-sex marriage is legal (2026), and judicial constraints on the executive score 0.90 on a 0-1 scale (2025). It has no formal alliance or is formally neutral (2026). Total government spending is 34% of GDP (2025), and Welfare and Trade both sit near the centre.

Brazil is the closest match at 86%. Both lean Local, Democratic and Cooperation, but Brazil is much less Progressive on Morality and less Secular, and leans slightly Protected on trade where South Africa sits at the centre. See how its politicians and historical figures compare on the page, or take the test to see how close you are to this profile.

Laws and institutionsData 2026-10
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Axis by axis

Where South Africa sits

  1. 01Ownership-15
    PublicPrivate
  2. 02Markets+20
    PlannedFree
  3. 03Welfare-5
    SharedSelf-reliant
  4. 04Authority-60
    DemocraticStrong leader
  5. 05Security-45
    LibertyOrder
  6. 06Structure-85
    LocalCentral
  7. 07Morality-75
    ProgressiveTraditional
  8. 08Religion-75
    SecularReligious
  9. 09Technology-55
    EmbraceCaution
  10. 10Culture-25
    MulticulturalNational identity
  11. 11Trade-10
    GlobalProtected
  12. 12Foreign policy-75
    CooperationStrength

Scores come from laws, budgets and institutional indexes, not from polls or the party in power. How country profiles are built

People

Who is closest to how South Africa is governed?

Each percentage compares a person's documented positions with the country's current profile, on the axes both have on record. A high score means their views match the status quo. A low one means they would change more.

Historical figures

  1. Steve BikoSteve Biko1946-1977 · Founder and first president of the South African Students' Organisation (SASO)85%
  2. Oliver TamboOliver Tambo1917-1993 · Leader of the African National Congress in exile (1967-1991)79%
  3. Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela1918-2013 · President of South Africa (1994-1999)78%
  4. Albert LuthuliAlbert Luthuli1898-1967 · President-General of the African National Congress (1952-1967)76%
  5. Desmond TutuDesmond Tutu1931-2021 · Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town (1986-1996)75%
  6. Ruth FirstRuth First1925-1982 · Journalist and editor of Fighting Talk and New Age74%
  7. Chris Hani1942-1993 · General Secretary of the South African Communist Party (1991-1993)72%

Match-ups

Governed most like South Africa

How close are you to South Africa?

Your 12 Axes result ranks the countries governed most like your answers, next to ideologies, figures and politicians.

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South Africa: questions

What is South Africa's type on the 12 axes?

Read from its laws and institutions, South Africa comes out as MLPG (Free-Market Cosmopolitan). The type takes one letter per family of three axes: Economy, State, Society and World. It describes how the country is governed, not what its people think.

Which figure from South Africa is closest to how it is governed today?

Of the people from South Africa profiled here, Steve Biko sits closest to its current policy profile, at 85% on the axes both have on record.

Which countries are governed most like South Africa?

On the 12 axes, Brazil is closest at 86%, followed by Uruguay at 83%. The comparison uses the same country profiles as the country match on your 12 Axes result.