Which has higher freedom of association index, Netherlands or South Africa?

South Africa, at 0.87 against 0.868 in Netherlands as of 2025.

What is the difference in freedom of association index between Netherlands and South Africa?

0.002, with South Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and South Africa?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Freedom of Association Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Netherlands vs South Africa: Freedom of Association Index

Netherlands

0.868

in 2025

South Africa

0.87

in 2025

Netherlands rank

44th

South Africa rank

41st

Freedom of Association Index over time

Netherlands
South Africa

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.87 against 0.868 in Netherlands, a difference of 0.002.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Netherlands ahead.

Netherlands ranks 44th and South Africa ranks 41st of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 10 and South Africa in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Netherlands	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.8258	0.331	0.4948	Netherlands
1910s	0.8254	0.4333	0.3921	Netherlands
1920s	0.8396	0.4346	0.405	Netherlands
1930s	0.842	0.4417	0.4003	Netherlands
1940s	0.5623	0.424	0.1383	Netherlands
1950s	0.8465	0.3258	0.5207	Netherlands
1960s	0.8527	0.2938	0.5589	Netherlands
1970s	0.858	0.294	0.564	Netherlands
1980s	0.8722	0.2987	0.5735	Netherlands
1990s	0.8699	0.7952	0.0747	Netherlands
2000s	0.8722	0.9294	0.0572	South Africa
2010s	0.88	0.9072	0.0272	South Africa
2020s	0.8842	0.8898	0.0057	South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher freedom of association index, Netherlands or South Africa?: South Africa, at 0.87 against 0.868 in Netherlands as of 2025.
What is the difference in freedom of association index between Netherlands and South Africa?: 0.002, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and South Africa?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Netherlands and South Africa rank globally for freedom of association index?: Netherlands ranks 44th and South Africa ranks 41st of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Freedom of Association Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Netherlands vs South Africa: Freedom of Association Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/freedom-of-association-index/netherlands/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator: Freedom of Association Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,011 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which parties, including opposition parties, are allowed to form and participate in elections and the extent to which civil society organizations are allowed to form and operate freely.