Political Rights Rating in South Africa
South Africa: Political Rights Rating was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
2
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
115th
of 199 countries
All-time high
6
in 1989
All-time low
1
in 1995
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Political Rights Rating in South Africa, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for political rights rating in South Africa is 2, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating 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 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% |
| 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 | 5.11 | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| 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 Antigua and Barbuda 2 compare
- 115 Argentina 2 compare
- 115 Belize 2 compare
- 115 Bhutan 2 compare
- 115 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 2 compare
- 115 Botswana 2 compare
- 115 Brazil 2 compare
- 115 Bulgaria 2 compare
- 115 Colombia 2 compare
- 115 Croatia 2 compare
- 115 Timor-Leste 2 compare
- 115 Ghana 2 compare
- 115 Greece 2 compare
- 115 India 2 compare
- 115 Israel 2 compare
- 115 Italy 2 compare
- 115 Jamaica 2 compare
- 115 Lesotho 2 compare
- 115 Liberia 2 compare
- 115 Liechtenstein 2 compare
- 115 Malawi 2 compare
- 115 Malta 2 compare
- 115 Naoero 2 compare
- 115 Panama 2 compare
- 115 Poland 2 compare
- 115 Romania 2 compare
- 115 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
- 115 Samoa 2 compare
- 115 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 115 Senegal 2 compare
- 115 Seychelles 2 compare
- 115 Slovakia 2 compare
- 115 Republic of Korea 2 compare
- 115 Suriname 2 compare
- 115 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
- 115 United States of America 2 compare
- 115 Vanuatu 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)
- 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)
- 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 in South Africa?
- Political rights rating in South Africa was 2 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1989.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1995.
- How does South Africa rank for political rights rating?
- South Africa ranks 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating 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 Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Rights Rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Identifies the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, and a functioning government. Lower ratings indicate more rights.