Political rights rating fh, gaps filled in South Africa
South Africa: Political rights rating fh, gaps filled was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Political rights rating fh, gaps filled in South Africa, 1972–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
The most recent figure for political rights rating fh, gaps filled in South Africa is 2, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating fh, gaps filled in South Africa peaked at 6 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1995.
That places South Africa 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Political rights rating fh, gaps filled in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 5 | — |
| 1973 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1974 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1978 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1990 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1991 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2 | -60.0% |
| 1995 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 1996 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 2007 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.5 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| 1980s | 5.1 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.4 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 115 Argentina 2 compare
- 115 Antigua and Barbuda 2 compare
- 115 Bulgaria 2 compare
- 115 Belize 2 compare
- 115 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 2 compare
- 115 Brazil 2 compare
- 115 Bhutan 2 compare
- 115 Botswana 2 compare
- 115 Colombia 2 compare
- 115 Ghana 2 compare
- 115 Greece 2 compare
- 115 Croatia 2 compare
- 115 India 2 compare
- 115 Israel 2 compare
- 115 Italy 2 compare
- 115 Jamaica 2 compare
- 115 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
- 115 Republic of Korea 2 compare
- 115 Liberia 2 compare
- 115 Liechtenstein 2 compare
- 115 Lesotho 2 compare
- 115 Malta 2 compare
- 115 Malawi 2 compare
- 115 Naoero 2 compare
- 115 Panama 2 compare
- 115 Poland 2 compare
- 115 Romania 2 compare
- 115 Senegal 2 compare
- 115 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 115 Suriname 2 compare
- 115 Slovakia 2 compare
- 115 Seychelles 2 compare
- 115 Timor-Leste 2 compare
- 115 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
- 115 United States of America 2 compare
- 115 Vanuatu 2 compare
- 115 Samoa 2 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)
- 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)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -22.47 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating fh, gaps filled in South Africa?
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled in South Africa was 2 in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest political rights rating fh, gaps filled recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1989.
- What is the lowest political rights rating fh, gaps filled recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1995.
- How does South Africa rank for political rights rating fh, gaps filled?
- South Africa ranks 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating fh, gaps filled rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Political rights rating fh, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Political rights rating fh with 183 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.
Computed from
- Political Rights Rating Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Political rights rating fh with 183 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.