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Key features of human rights in South Africa

South Africa: Key features of human rights was 0.857 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.857
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
54th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.867
in 2010
All-time low
0.121
in 1980
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Key features of human rights in South Africa, 1900–2025

0.20.40.60.8190019622025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, key features of human rights in South Africa stood at 0.857.

The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 1.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, key features of human rights in South Africa peaked at 0.867 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.121, in 1980.

South Africa ranks 54th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Key features of human rights in South Africa, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.285 —
1901 0.285 +0.0%
1902 0.285 +0.0%
1903 0.285 +0.0%
1904 0.285 +0.0%
1905 0.285 +0.0%
1906 0.285 +0.0%
1907 0.285 +0.0%
1908 0.285 +0.0%
1909 0.285 +0.0%
1910 0.29 +1.8%
1911 0.29 +0.0%
1912 0.29 +0.0%
1913 0.29 +0.0%
1914 0.29 +0.0%
1915 0.29 +0.0%
1916 0.29 +0.0%
1917 0.29 +0.0%
1918 0.29 +0.0%
1919 0.29 +0.0%
1920 0.29 +0.0%
1921 0.29 +0.0%
1922 0.29 +0.0%
1923 0.29 +0.0%
1924 0.29 +0.0%
1925 0.29 +0.0%
1926 0.29 +0.0%
1927 0.29 +0.0%
1928 0.29 +0.0%
1929 0.29 +0.0%
1930 0.29 +0.0%
1931 0.292 +0.7%
1932 0.292 +0.0%
1933 0.292 +0.0%
1934 0.292 +0.0%
1935 0.292 +0.0%
1936 0.292 +0.0%
1937 0.292 +0.0%
1938 0.292 +0.0%
1939 0.292 +0.0%
1940 0.292 +0.0%
1941 0.292 +0.0%
1942 0.292 +0.0%
1943 0.292 +0.0%
1944 0.292 +0.0%
1945 0.292 +0.0%
1946 0.292 +0.0%
1947 0.282 -3.4%
1948 0.195 -30.9%
1949 0.181 -7.2%
1950 0.174 -3.9%
1951 0.174 +0.0%
1952 0.174 +0.0%
1953 0.174 +0.0%
1954 0.174 +0.0%
1955 0.174 +0.0%
1956 0.174 +0.0%
1957 0.174 +0.0%
1958 0.174 +0.0%
1959 0.174 +0.0%
1960 0.148 -14.9%
1961 0.148 +0.0%
1962 0.142 -4.1%
1963 0.142 +0.0%
1964 0.137 -3.5%
1965 0.137 +0.0%
1966 0.137 +0.0%
1967 0.137 +0.0%
1968 0.137 +0.0%
1969 0.137 +0.0%
1970 0.136 -0.7%
1971 0.136 +0.0%
1972 0.136 +0.0%
1973 0.136 +0.0%
1974 0.134 -1.5%
1975 0.134 +0.0%
1976 0.131 -2.2%
1977 0.126 -3.8%
1978 0.126 +0.0%
1979 0.126 +0.0%
1980 0.121 -4.0%
1981 0.121 +0.0%
1982 0.121 +0.0%
1983 0.121 +0.0%
1984 0.121 +0.0%
1985 0.125 +3.3%
1986 0.126 +0.8%
1987 0.126 +0.0%
1988 0.128 +1.6%
1989 0.135 +5.5%
1990 0.248 +83.7%
1991 0.291 +17.3%
1992 0.291 +0.0%
1993 0.304 +4.5%
1994 0.584 +92.1%
1995 0.85 +45.5%
1996 0.859 +1.1%
1997 0.859 +0.0%
1998 0.859 +0.0%
1999 0.859 +0.0%
2000 0.859 +0.0%
2001 0.859 +0.0%
2002 0.859 +0.0%
2003 0.859 +0.0%
2004 0.859 +0.0%
2005 0.859 +0.0%
2006 0.86 +0.1%
2007 0.86 +0.0%
2008 0.858 -0.2%
2009 0.859 +0.1%
2010 0.867 +0.9%
2011 0.866 -0.1%
2012 0.861 -0.6%
2013 0.859 -0.2%
2014 0.857 -0.2%
2015 0.867 +1.2%
2016 0.867 +0.0%
2017 0.843 -2.8%
2018 0.851 +0.9%
2019 0.836 -1.8%
2020 0.826 -1.2%
2021 0.838 +1.5%
2022 0.828 -1.2%
2023 0.85 +2.7%
2024 0.867 +2.0%
2025 0.857 -1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.285 0.285 0.285 10
1910s 0.29 0.29 0.29 10
1920s 0.29 0.29 0.29 10
1930s 0.2918 0.29 0.292 10
1940s 0.2702 0.181 0.292 10
1950s 0.174 0.174 0.174 10
1960s 0.1402 0.137 0.148 10
1970s 0.1321 0.126 0.136 10
1980s 0.1245 0.121 0.135 10
1990s 0.6004 0.248 0.859 10
2000s 0.8591 0.858 0.86 10
2010s 0.8574 0.836 0.867 10
2020s 0.8443 0.826 0.867 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 52 Albania 0.872 compare
  2. 53 Brazil 0.871 compare
  3. 54 Slovakia 0.857 compare
  4. 54 Solomon Islands 0.857 compare
  5. 57 Bulgaria 0.849 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is key features of human rights in South Africa?
Key features of human rights in South Africa was 0.857 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest key features of human rights recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.867 in 2010.
What is the lowest key features of human rights recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.121 in 1980.
How does South Africa rank for key features of human rights?
South Africa ranks 54th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is key features of human rights rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. 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 Key features of human rights. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Key features of human rights in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/key-features-of-human-rights/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Key features of human rights
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,202 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed