Press freedom fh in South Africa
South Africa: Press freedom fh was 1 in 2016. β Volatile
Latest (2016)
1
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
61st
of 194 groups
All-time high
2
in 1994
All-time low
0
in 1979
Years of data
36
1979β2016
Press freedom fh in South Africa, 1979β2016
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for press freedom fh in South Africa is 1, measured in 2016.
The figure is down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, press freedom fh in South Africa peaked at 2 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1979.
South Africa ranks 61st of 194 groups 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 1990s | 1.6 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.9 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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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)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.857 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.633 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.743 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.87 (2025)
- Freedom of expression index 0.837 (2025)
- Participatory democracy index 0.47 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is press freedom fh in South Africa?
- Press freedom fh in South Africa was 1 in 2016, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest press freedom fh recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1994.
- What is the lowest press freedom fh recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1979.
- How does South Africa rank for press freedom fh?
- South Africa ranks 61st out of 194 groups with data for 2016.
- Is press freedom fh rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. 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 Press freedom fh. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).