Kenya vs South Africa: Key media freedoms
Kenya
1.72
in 2025
South Africa
1.68
in 2025
Kenya rank
36th
South Africa rank
37th
Key media freedoms over time
- Kenya
- South Africa
How they compare
Kenya currently reports 1.72 against 1.68 in South Africa, a difference of 0.04.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.
Kenya ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 37th of 175 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kenya | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -2.37 | -0.197 | 2.17 | South Africa |
| 1910s | -2.37 | 0.101 | 2.47 | South Africa |
| 1920s | -2.37 | 0.101 | 2.47 | South Africa |
| 1930s | -2.37 | 0.101 | 2.47 | South Africa |
| 1940s | -1.98 | -0.0591 | 1.93 | South Africa |
| 1950s | -1.84 | -0.786 | 1.06 | South Africa |
| 1960s | -1.23 | -1.49 | 0.2669 | Kenya |
| 1970s | -0.965 | -2.18 | 1.22 | Kenya |
| 1980s | -1.58 | -2.66 | 1.09 | Kenya |
| 1990s | -0.1374 | 0.7587 | 0.8961 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 0.6958 | 1.51 | 0.8161 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1.25 | 1.01 | 0.2386 | Kenya |
| 2020s | 1.27 | 1.4 | 0.1317 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher key media freedoms, Kenya or South Africa?
- Kenya, at 1.72 against 1.68 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in key media freedoms between Kenya and South Africa?
- 0.04, with Kenya ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Kenya and South Africa rank globally for key media freedoms?
- Kenya ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 37th of 175 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Key media freedoms. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.