Germany vs South Africa: Human rights

Human rights in 2025: 0.94 of 1 in Germany and 0.86 of 1 in South Africa, by V-Dem estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Germany, by 0.08 of 1, or 1.1 times that in South Africa.

GermanySouth Africa

Watch it change on the map

Change since 1900, index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

All years Since 1950 Since 1990 Since 2010

Values Change

Linear Log

World

GermanySouth AfricaWorld

Latest figures

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Country	Latest	10 years before	Rank in 2025
Germany	0.94 2025	0.96	14 of 175
South Africa	0.86 2025	0.87	54 of 175
World	0.65 2025	0.69

What the numbers say

Germany has been higher since 1991, when it overtook South Africa.
The world as a whole: 0.65 of 1 in 2025.

Every year

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Year	Germany	South Africa	World
2025	0.94	0.86	0.65
2024	0.94	0.87	0.65
2023	0.95	0.85	0.66
2022	0.95	0.83	0.66
2021	0.95	0.84	0.67
2020	0.95	0.83	0.67
2019	0.96	0.84	0.68
2018	0.96	0.85	0.68
2017	0.96	0.84	0.68
2016	0.96	0.87	0.68
2015	0.96	0.87	0.69
2014	0.96	0.86	0.69
2013	0.96	0.86	0.7
2012	0.97	0.86	0.7
2011	0.97	0.87	0.7
2010	0.97	0.87	0.7
2009	0.97	0.86	0.69
2008	0.97	0.86	0.69
2007	0.97	0.86	0.69
2006	0.97	0.86	0.69
2005	0.97	0.86	0.69
2004	0.97	0.86	0.69
2003	0.97	0.86	0.69
2002	0.97	0.86	0.68
2001	0.97	0.86	0.68
2000	0.97	0.86	0.67
1999	0.97	0.86	0.66
1998	0.97	0.86	0.65
1997	0.97	0.86	0.65
1996	0.97	0.86	0.65
1995	0.97	0.85	0.65
1994	0.97	0.58	0.64
1993	0.97	0.3	0.63
1992	0.97	0.29	0.62
1991	0.97	0.29	0.6
1990	–	0.25	0.57
1989	–	0.14	0.51
1988	–	0.13	0.5
1987	–	0.13	0.5
1986	–	0.13	0.49
1985	–	0.13	0.48
1984	–	0.12	0.47
1983	–	0.12	0.47
1982	–	0.12	0.46
1981	–	0.12	0.46
1980	–	0.12	0.46
1979	–	0.13	0.45
1978	–	0.13	0.44
1977	–	0.13	0.44
1976	–	0.13	0.44
1975	–	0.13	0.44
1974	–	0.13	0.43
1973	–	0.14	0.43
1972	–	0.14	0.44
1971	–	0.14	0.44
1970	–	0.14	0.44
1969	–	0.14	0.44
1968	–	0.14	0.45
1967	–	0.14	0.45
1966	–	0.14	0.46
1965	–	0.14	0.46
1964	–	0.14	0.46
1963	–	0.14	0.46
1962	–	0.14	0.46
1961	–	0.15	0.46
1960	–	0.15	0.46
1959	–	0.17	0.44
1958	–	0.17	0.44
1957	–	0.17	0.43
1956	–	0.17	0.43
1955	–	0.17	0.43
1954	–	0.17	0.43
1953	–	0.17	0.43
1952	–	0.17	0.43
1951	–	0.17	0.43
1950	–	0.17	0.42
1949	–	0.18	0.42
1948	–	0.2	0.42
1947	–	0.28	0.42
1946	–	0.29	0.42
1945	–	0.29	0.38
1944	0.03	0.29	0.35
1943	0.03	0.29	0.35
1942	0.03	0.29	0.35
1941	0.03	0.29	0.35
1940	0.03	0.29	0.36
1939	0.03	0.29	0.38
1938	0.04	0.29	0.39
1937	0.05	0.29	0.39
1936	0.05	0.29	0.39
1935	0.05	0.29	0.4
1934	0.05	0.29	0.4
1933	0.19	0.29	0.4
1932	0.72	0.29	0.41
1931	0.75	0.29	0.41
1930	0.75	0.29	0.41
1929	0.76	0.29	0.41
1928	0.76	0.29	0.41
1927	0.76	0.29	0.41
1926	0.76	0.29	0.41
1925	0.76	0.29	0.41
1924	0.76	0.29	0.42
1923	0.76	0.29	0.41
1922	0.76	0.29	0.42
1921	0.77	0.29	0.42
1920	0.77	0.29	0.42
1919	0.75	0.29	0.41
1918	0.58	0.29	0.4
1917	0.57	0.29	0.39
1916	0.57	0.29	0.39
1915	0.57	0.29	0.4
1914	0.6	0.29	0.4
1913	0.65	0.29	0.41
1912	0.65	0.29	0.41
1911	0.65	0.29	0.41
1910	0.65	0.29	0.41
1909	0.65	0.29	0.41
1908	0.65	0.29	0.41
1907	0.65	0.29	0.41
1906	0.65	0.29	0.41
1905	0.65	0.29	0.41
1904	0.65	0.29	0.41
1903	0.65	0.29	0.41
1902	0.65	0.29	0.41
1901	0.65	0.29	0.41
1900	0.65	0.29	0.41
1899	0.62	–	0.47
1898	0.62	–	0.47
1897	0.62	–	0.46
1896	0.62	–	0.47
1895	0.62	–	0.46
1894	0.62	–	0.46
1893	0.62	–	0.46
1892	0.62	–	0.45
1891	0.62	–	0.45
1890	0.62	–	0.45
1889	0.61	–	0.45
1888	0.61	–	0.45
1887	0.61	–	0.45
1886	0.61	–	0.44
1885	0.61	–	0.44
1884	0.61	–	0.44
1883	0.61	–	0.44
1882	0.61	–	0.44
1881	0.61	–	0.44
1880	0.61	–	0.44
1879	0.61	–	0.45
1878	0.61	–	0.45
1877	0.61	–	0.44
1876	0.61	–	0.45
1875	0.61	–	0.45
1874	0.61	–	0.45
1873	0.61	–	0.45
1872	0.61	–	0.44
1871	0.61	–	0.45
1870	0.49	–	0.44
1869	0.48	–	0.44
1868	0.48	–	0.43
1867	0.46	–	0.44
1866	0.42	–	0.43
1865	0.42	–	0.43
1864	0.42	–	0.42
1863	0.42	–	0.43
1862	0.42	–	0.43
1861	0.42	–	0.42
1860	0.39	–	0.41
1859	0.39	–	0.4
1858	0.39	–	0.4
1857	0.39	–	0.4
1856	0.39	–	0.4
1855	0.39	–	0.4
1854	0.39	–	0.4
1853	0.39	–	0.4
1852	0.39	–	0.39
1851	0.39	–	0.39
1850	0.39	–	0.39
1849	0.42	–	0.41
1848	0.44	–	0.4
1847	0.28	–	0.38
1846	0.27	–	0.38
1845	0.27	–	0.37
1844	0.27	–	0.37
1843	0.27	–	0.37
1842	0.27	–	0.37
1841	0.27	–	0.37
1840	0.27	–	0.36
1839	0.27	–	0.36
1838	0.27	–	0.36
1837	0.27	–	0.36
1836	0.27	–	0.36
1835	0.27	–	0.36
1834	0.27	–	0.35
1833	0.27	–	0.35
1832	0.27	–	0.35
1831	0.27	–	0.35
1830	0.27	–	0.35
1829	0.27	–	0.35
1828	0.27	–	0.35
1827	0.27	–	0.35
1826	0.27	–	0.35
1825	0.27	–	0.35
1824	0.27	–	0.34
1823	0.27	–	0.35
1822	0.27	–	0.34
1821	0.27	–	0.34
1820	0.27	–	0.33
1819	0.27	–	0.32
1818	0.27	–	0.31
1817	0.27	–	0.31
1816	0.27	–	0.32
1815	0.27	–	0.32
1814	0.27	–	0.3
1813	0.27	–	0.29
1812	0.27	–	0.28
1811	0.27	–	0.28
1810	0.27	–	0.29
1809	0.27	–	0.29
1808	0.24	–	0.28
1807	0.23	–	0.28
1806	0.23	–	0.27
1805	0.23	–	0.27
1804	0.23	–	0.27
1803	0.23	–	0.27
1802	0.23	–	0.27
1801	0.23	–	0.27
1800	0.23	–	0.27
1799	0.23	–	0.28
1798	0.23	–	0.27
1797	0.23	–	0.27
1796	0.23	–	0.27
1795	0.23	–	0.27
1794	0.23	–	0.27
1793	0.23	–	0.27
1792	0.23	–	0.27
1791	0.23	–	0.27
1790	0.23	–	0.27
1789	0.23	–	0.27

Each country on its own

Good to know

V-Dem’s civil liberties index: how free people are from government violence and how far they hold private and political liberties, from 0 to 1.
Source: V-Dem (2026), via Our World in Data.
Ranks count the 175 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time