Academic freedom index in South Africa
South Africa: Academic freedom index was 0.831 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.831
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
44th
of 174 countries
All-time high
0.926
in 1997
All-time low
0.185
in 1956
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Academic freedom index in South Africa, 1900–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.831 for academic freedom index in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in South Africa peaked at 0.926 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.185, in 1956.
That places South Africa 44th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.424 | 0.424 | 0.424 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.424 | 0.424 | 0.424 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.424 | 0.424 | 0.424 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.424 | 0.424 | 0.424 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.3842 | 0.205 | 0.424 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1874 | 0.185 | 0.189 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.185 | 0.185 | 0.185 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.185 | 0.185 | 0.185 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1995 | 0.188 | 0.211 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6632 | 0.34 | 0.926 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9203 | 0.913 | 0.926 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8461 | 0.819 | 0.872 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8355 | 0.831 | 0.84 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 1,319 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 2 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.857 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.633 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.743 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.87 (2025)
- Freedom of expression index 0.837 (2025)
- Participatory democracy index 0.47 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is academic freedom index in South Africa?
- Academic freedom index in South Africa was 0.831 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.926 in 1997.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.185 in 1956.
- How does South Africa rank for academic freedom index?
- South Africa ranks 44th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Academic freedom index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).