Freedom in Africa
50 countries and territories, on every statistic this site carries. Each row shows the region’s best and worst on that measure and the median between them.
Countries in Africa
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | Kenya 0.900 | Eritrea 0.024 | 0.579 | 49 |
| Freedom of association | Ghana 0.888 | Eswatini 0.023 | 0.508 | 49 |
| Civil liberties | Ghana 0.912 | Eritrea 0.047 | 0.557 | 49 |
| Freedom from political violence | Ghana 0.937 | Chad 0.079 | 0.504 | 49 |
| Equal protection of rights | Niger 0.879 | South Sudan 0.057 | 0.543 | 49 |
| Academic freedom | Nigeria 0.876 | Eritrea 0.034 | 0.481 | 49 |
| Media censorship effort | Sierra Leone 1.867 | South Sudan -3.017 | -0.275 | 49 |
| Harassment of journalists | Ghana 2.004 | Eritrea -2.439 | 0.094 | 49 |
| Media self-censorship | Ghana 2.213 | Eritrea -2.768 | 0.305 | 49 |
| Universal right to vote | Angola 1.000 | Eswatini 0.000 | 1.000 | 50 |
| Legal rights for women | Togo 97.5 | Sudan 32.5 | 75.0 | 49 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | Angola 1.000 | Zambia 0.000 | 1.000 | 49 |
| Access to justice for women | Gambia 1.000 | Zimbabwe 0.000 | 0.000 | 49 |
| Access to justice for men | Benin 1.000 | Zimbabwe 0.000 | 0.000 | 49 |
| Civil liberties score | South Africa 47.0 | Eritrea 2.0 | 22.0 | 50 |
| Political rights score | Ghana 35.0 | South Sudan -4.0 | 8.0 | 50 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | Djibouti 206.3% | Sudan 2.4% | 56.7% | 39 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | Somalia 2.2% | Lesotho 35.4% | 14.2% | 14 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | Ethiopia 6.1% | Namibia 36.2% | 17.9% | 15 |
| Foreign investment inflows | Egypt 4.2% | South Africa -0.5% | 1.4% | 9 |
| Regulatory quality | Botswana 61.2 | Eritrea 22.8 | 43.1 | 49 |
| GDP per capita | Gabon $19K | Burundi $1,067 | $4,116 | 47 |
| GDP growth | Libya 13.4% | Equatorial Guinea -5.8% | 4.6% | 47 |
| Inflation | Burundi 34.1% | Niger -4.5% | 3.4% | 40 |
| Unemployment | Niger 0.4% | Eswatini 34.2% | 5.9% | 47 |
| Income inequality | Rwanda 39.400 | Rwanda 39.400 | 39.400 | 1 |
| Extreme poverty | Rwanda 38.6% | Rwanda 38.6% | 38.6% | 1 |
| Government debt | South Africa 82.8% | Somalia 12.7% | 64.2% | 5 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | Morocco 91.2% | Burundi 8.6% | 40.1% | 46 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | Tunisia 15.0 | Chad 0.0 | 0.8 | 33 |
| Mobile subscriptions | Côte d'Ivoire 183.9 | Mozambique 49.5 | 108.2 | 35 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | South Africa 0.743 | Eritrea 0.069 | 0.279 | 49 |
| Liberal democracy | South Africa 0.633 | Eritrea 0.009 | 0.157 | 49 |
| Rule of law | Botswana 0.822 | Chad 0.016 | 0.315 | 49 |
| Judicial checks on government | South Africa 0.895 | Equatorial Guinea 0.008 | 0.268 | 49 |
| Legislative checks on government | Malawi 0.922 | Eritrea 0.092 | 0.337 | 48 |
| Political corruption | Benin 0.191 | Chad 0.952 | 0.706 | 49 |
| Civil society participation | Malawi 0.931 | Eritrea 0.033 | 0.651 | 49 |
| Women’s political empowerment | Benin 0.882 | Eritrea 0.151 | 0.699 | 49 |
| Voice and accountability | South Africa 67.5 | Eritrea 16.8 | 39.8 | 49 |
| Control of corruption | Botswana 60.6 | South Sudan 6.1 | 31.1 | 49 |
| Government effectiveness | Botswana 59.4 | South Sudan 9.1 | 36.4 | 49 |
| Political stability | Botswana 83.5 | Mali 23.3 | 53.8 | 49 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | Algeria 0.763 | South Sudan 0.388 | 0.555 | 49 |
| Life expectancy | Tunisia 76.7 | Nigeria 54.6 | 64.3 | 49 |
| Adult literacy | South Africa 91.2% | Mali 35.6% | 74.4% | 6 |
| Secondary school enrolment | South Sudan 122.1% | Niger 19.9% | 70.5% | 12 |
| Government spending on education | Lesotho 7.3% | Somalia 0.0% | 3.3% | 33 |
| Health spending | Liberia 13.0% | Djibouti 2.3% | 4.4% | 49 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | Rwanda 4.1% | Nigeria 71.9% | 33.8% | 49 |
| Maternal mortality | Egypt 17.0 | Nigeria 993.0 | 256.0 | 49 |
| Women in parliament | Rwanda 63.8% | Nigeria 4.2% | 23.8% | 46 |
| Women in the workforce | Madagascar 82.9% | Algeria 14.1% | 56.6% | 47 |
| Fertility rate | Chad 6.03 | Tunisia 1.82 | 3.91 | 49 |
| Urban population | Gabon 92.1% | Malawi 17.6% | 45.9% | 49 |
| Refugees who left | Mozambique 0.3 | Western Sahara 29,564.0 | 88.5 | 50 |
| Population | Nigeria 237.5M | Djibouti 1.2M | 18.9M | 49 |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | Somalia 0.05 | Libya 8.66 | 0.41 | 48 |
| Renewable energy use | Democratic Republic of the Congo 96.3% | Algeria 0.1% | 71.1% | 49 |
| Access to electricity | Algeria 100.0% | South Sudan 5.4% | 59.0% | 49 |
Overlapping regions
These groupings share countries with Africa. A country can belong to several at once — Turkey is in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.