Civil Rights Score in South Africa
South Africa: Civil Rights Score was 7 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Civil Rights Score in South Africa, 2005–2025
Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 7 for civil rights score in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil rights score in South Africa peaked at 8 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 7, in 2005.
That places South Africa 19th out of 128 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Civil Rights Score in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7 | — |
| 2007 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 2009 | 7 | -12.5% |
| 2011 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 2019 | 7 | -12.5% |
| 2021 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 7 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5, 1.4× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 7 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4, 1.8× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.33 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
| 2010s | 7.2 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
| 2020s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil rights score in South Africa?
- Civil rights score in South Africa was 7 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil rights score recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8 in 2007.
- What is the lowest civil rights score recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for civil rights score?
- South Africa ranks 19th out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil rights score rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Rights Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Indicates the extent to which civil rights are codified in law, and the state prosecutes any violations and works to prevent discrimination.