Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Africa
South Africa: Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations was 77.0% in 2014. ▲ Rising
Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Africa, 1984–2014
Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Africa is 77.0%, measured in 2014.
The figure is down 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Africa peaked at 84.2% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 69.5%, in 1984.
That places South Africa 3rd out of 38 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 69.5% | — |
| 1993 | 81.6% | +17.5% |
| 1998 | 83.6% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 81.7% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 84.2% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 77.0% | -8.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 77.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 63.8%, 1.2× the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 69.5% | 69.5% | 69.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 82.6% | 81.6% | 83.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 81.7% | 81.7% | 81.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 80.6% | 77.0% | 84.2% | 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 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Africa?
- Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Africa was 77.0% in 2014, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who trust churches and religious organizations recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 84.2% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of people who trust churches and religious organizations recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.5% in 1984.
- How does South Africa rank for share of people who trust churches and religious organizations?
- South Africa ranks 3rd out of 38 countries with data for 2014.
- Is share of people who trust churches and religious organizations rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
% of respondents replying that they "trust completely" or "trust somewhat" when asked "I am going to name a number of organizations. For each one, could you tell me how much confidence you have in them: is it a great deal of confidence, quite a lot of confidence, not very much confidence or none at all?" in the organization "The Churches (mosque, temple, etc.)".