South Africa

Overview

Out of 72 countries, South Africa sits at #7 — 7th Most Cooked. Three departments are doing the heavy lifting here: economic policy (income inequality beats 99% of the field, just not in a good way), public safety policy (homicide rate, 99th percentile), and political institutions bringing up the rear. Different agencies, same energy.

At 47/100, South Africa is 20 points above the median of 27 across all 72 countries (higher = more cooked). Performance is lopsided: income inequality ranks worse than 99% of countries, while billionaires hoarded (5 billionaires) is the closest thing to a bright spot — and it still only beats 63% of the field. Strip away the country name and you're really looking at a economic policy problem.

Sources: World Bank — Gini Index (SI.POV.GINI) (2018–2022) · UNODC Intentional Homicide Statistics (2024) · V-Dem + Global Peace Index (2025)