Freedom of Association Score in South Africa
South Africa: Freedom of Association Score was 8 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom of Association Score in South Africa, 2005–2025
Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom of association score in South Africa stood at 8.
That represents a change of up 14.3% on the previous year and up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of association score in South Africa peaked at 10 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 7, in 2015.
That places South Africa 22nd out of 128 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Freedom of Association Score in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 9 | — |
| 2007 | 10 | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 9 | -10.0% |
| 2011 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8 | -11.1% |
| 2015 | 7 | -12.5% |
| 2017 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 2021 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7 | -12.5% |
| 2025 | 8 | +14.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.33 | 9 | 10 | 3 |
| 2010s | 7.8 | 7 | 9 | 5 |
| 2020s | 7.67 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 22 Armenia 8 compare
- 22 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 8 compare
- 22 Botswana 8 compare
- 22 Bulgaria 8 compare
- 22 Ghana 8 compare
- 22 Lesotho 8 compare
- 22 Liberia 8 compare
- 22 Malawi 8 compare
- 22 Mauritius 8 compare
- 22 Namibia 8 compare
- 22 Papua New Guinea 8 compare
- 22 Romania 8 compare
- 22 Senegal 8 compare
- 22 Ukraine 8 compare
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 freedom of association score in South Africa?
- Freedom of association score in South Africa was 8 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of association score recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 10 in 2007.
- What is the lowest freedom of association score recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 in 2015.
- How does South Africa rank for freedom of association score?
- South Africa ranks 22nd out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of association score rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Freedom of Association 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 residents and civic groups are free from government interference to associate and assemble.