Press freedom index rsf in South Africa
South Africa: Press freedom index rsf was 21.59 in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
21.59
Change on year
down 3.7%
Rank
145th
of 177 groups
All-time high
24.56
in 2013
All-time low
20.12
in 2017
Years of data
9
2013–2021
Press freedom index rsf in South Africa, 2013–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2021, press freedom index rsf in South Africa stood at 21.59.
That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, press freedom index rsf in South Africa peaked at 24.56 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 20.12, in 2017.
South Africa ranks 145th of 177 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 22.06 | 20.12 | 24.56 | 7 |
| 2020s | 22 | 21.59 | 22.41 | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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 index rsf in South Africa?
- Press freedom index rsf in South Africa was 21.59 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest press freedom index rsf recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 24.56 in 2013.
- What is the lowest press freedom index rsf recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.12 in 2017.
- How does South Africa rank for press freedom index rsf?
- South Africa ranks 145th out of 177 groups with data for 2021.
- Is press freedom index rsf rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. 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 Press freedom index rsf. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).