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?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Key media freedoms. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which the government directly or indirectly attempts to censor political content in print and broadcast media, through formal restrictions or indirect pressures such as financial control, licensing, or access to distribution channels.