Which has higher freedom of expression index, Liberia or South Africa?

South Africa, at 0.837 against 0.836 in Liberia as of 2025.

What is the difference in freedom of expression index between Liberia and South Africa?

0.001, with South Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Liberia 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 Expression Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Liberia vs South Africa: Freedom of Expression Index

Liberia

0.836

in 2025

South Africa

0.837

in 2025

Liberia rank

52nd

South Africa rank

51st

Freedom of Expression Index over time

Liberia
South Africa

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.837 against 0.836 in Liberia, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 10 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.

Liberia ranks 52nd and South Africa ranks 51st of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Liberia averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 12.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Liberia	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.319	0.417	0.098	South Africa
1910s	0.311	0.416	0.105	South Africa
1920s	0.311	0.416	0.105	South Africa
1930s	0.3104	0.416	0.1056	South Africa
1940s	0.2456	0.395	0.1494	South Africa
1950s	0.1642	0.337	0.1728	South Africa
1960s	0.1575	0.2969	0.1394	South Africa
1970s	0.273	0.2719	0.0011	Liberia
1980s	0.1418	0.2507	0.1089	South Africa
1990s	0.4155	0.6855	0.27	South Africa
2000s	0.6763	0.8761	0.1998	South Africa
2010s	0.8588	0.8713	0.0125	South Africa
2020s	0.837	0.8472	0.0102	South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher freedom of expression index, Liberia or South Africa?: South Africa, at 0.837 against 0.836 in Liberia as of 2025.
What is the difference in freedom of expression index between Liberia and South Africa?: 0.001, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Liberia and South Africa?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Liberia and South Africa rank globally for freedom of expression index?: Liberia ranks 52nd and South Africa ranks 51st of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Freedom of Expression Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Liberia vs South Africa: Freedom of Expression Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/freedom-of-expression-index/liberia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator: Freedom of Expression Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,035 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which people can discuss political matters at home and in the public sphere, the press, and media are free and can present different political perspectives, and the freedom of academic and cultural expression.