Freedom in South Africa
Where South Africa sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. South Africa has a figure for 56 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.837 | 2025 | 47 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.870 | 2025 | 38 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.857 | 2025 | 50 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.849 | 2025 | 62 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.740 | 2025 | 51 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.831 | 2025 | 41 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 1.677 | 2025 | 36 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 1.290 | 2025 | 43 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 0.643 | 2025 | 72 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 136 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 88.1 | 2023 | 55 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 142 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 161 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 0.000 | 2025 | 161 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 47.0 | 2025 | 48 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 34.0 | 2025 | 47 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 60.9% | 2025 | 80 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 25.9% | 2024 | 75 of 83 |
| Foreign investment inflows | -0.5% | 2025 | 78 of 87 |
| Regulatory quality | 53.9 | 2024 | 72 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $13.6K | 2025 | 91 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 1.1% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 3.2% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 32.4% | 2025 | 162 of 163 |
| Government debt | 82.8% | 2024 | — |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 78.4% | 2024 | 87 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 5.3 | 2024 | 94 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 179.3 | 2024 | 6 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.743 | 2025 | 38 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.633 | 2025 | 36 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.694 | 2025 | 61 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.895 | 2025 | 29 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.843 | 2025 | 41 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.538 | 2025 | 79 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.776 | 2025 | 57 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.830 | 2025 | 54 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 67.5 | 2024 | 39 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 44.0 | 2024 | 67 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 46.9 | 2024 | 91 of 169 |
| Political stability | 55.4 | 2024 | 119 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.741 | 2023 | 87 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 66.3 | 2024 | 137 of 170 |
| Adult literacy | 91.2% | 2024 | 18 of 27 |
| Government spending on education | 6.1% | 2023 | — |
| Health spending | 8.9% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 6.7% | 2023 | 5 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 118.0 | 2023 | 113 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 44.9% | 2025 | 14 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 49.9% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 2.21 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 63.8% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 1.8 | 2024 | 39 of 168 |
| Population | 64.7M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 6.88 | 2024 | 135 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 9.7% | 2021 | 136 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 90.2% | 2024 | 117 of 169 |
What is missing
4 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for South Africa in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for South Africa, not a zero. Who publishes what