South Africa vs United States: Freedom Score
South Africa
81
in 2025
United States
81
in 2025
South Africa rank
67th
United States rank
67th
Freedom Score over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 81 against 81 in United States, a difference of 0.
Across all 24 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 67th and United States ranks 67th of 197 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 86.62 | 93.25 | 6.62 | United States |
| 2010s | 80.1 | 90.1 | 10 | United States |
| 2020s | 79.67 | 82.83 | 3.17 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher freedom score, South Africa or United States?
- South Africa, at 81 against 81 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in freedom score between South Africa and United States?
- 0, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for freedom score?
- South Africa ranks 67th and United States ranks 67th of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Freedom Score. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Freedom House’s freedom score captures the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, a functioning government, freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Higher scores indicate more freedom.