Freedom of expression score bti in South Africa
South Africa: Freedom of expression score bti was 7 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
7
Change on year
down 12.5%
World rank
19th
of 128 countries
All-time high
10
in 2005
All-time low
7
in 2017
Years of data
11
2005–2025
Freedom of expression score bti in South Africa, 2005–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom of expression score bti in South Africa stood at 7. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 12.5% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of expression score bti in South Africa peaked at 10 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 7, in 2017.
South Africa ranks 19th of 128 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Freedom of expression score bti in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 10 | — |
| 2007 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 | -20.0% |
| 2011 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 | -12.5% |
| 2019 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 2021 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 | -12.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.33 | 8 | 10 | 3 |
| 2010s | 7.8 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
| 2020s | 7.67 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 19 Albania 7 compare
- 19 Argentina 7 compare
- 19 Bhutan 7 compare
- 19 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 7 compare
- 19 Brazil 7 compare
- 19 Colombia 7 compare
- 19 Côte d'Ivoire 7 compare
- 19 Croatia 7 compare
- 19 Ecuador 7 compare
- 19 Lesotho 7 compare
- 19 Liberia 7 compare
- 19 Malawi 7 compare
- 19 Montenegro 7 compare
- 19 Namibia 7 compare
- 19 North Macedonia 7 compare
- 19 Panama 7 compare
- 19 Papua New Guinea 7 compare
- 19 Peru 7 compare
- 19 Romania 7 compare
- 19 Senegal 7 compare
- 19 Sri Lanka 7 compare
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)
- 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 expression score bti in South Africa?
- Freedom of expression score bti in South Africa was 7 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of expression score bti recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 10 in 2005.
- What is the lowest freedom of expression score bti recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 in 2017.
- How does South Africa rank for freedom of expression score bti?
- South Africa ranks 19th out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of expression score bti rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of expression score bti. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).