Lesotho vs South Africa: Human rights

Human rights in 2025: 0.84 of 1 in Lesotho and 0.86 of 1 in South Africa, by V-Dem estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Africa, by 0.02 of 1, or 1.03 times that in Lesotho.

LesothoSouth Africa

Watch it change on the map

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

All years Since 1950 Since 1990 Since 2010

Values Change

Linear Log

World

LesothoSouth Africa

Latest figures

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Country	Latest	10 years before	Rank in 2025
Lesotho	0.84 2025	0.71	65 of 175
South Africa	0.86 2025	0.87	54 of 175
World	0.65 2025	0.69

What the numbers say

South Africa has been higher since 2023, when it overtook Lesotho.
The world as a whole: 0.65 of 1 in 2025.

Every year

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Year	Lesotho	South Africa	World
2025	0.84	0.86	0.65
2024	0.79	0.87	0.65
2023	0.81	0.85	0.66
2022	0.84	0.83	0.66
2021	0.81	0.84	0.67
2020	0.81	0.83	0.67
2019	0.75	0.84	0.68
2018	0.76	0.85	0.68
2017	0.7	0.84	0.68
2016	0.68	0.87	0.68
2015	0.71	0.87	0.69
2014	0.79	0.86	0.69
2013	0.79	0.86	0.7
2012	0.79	0.86	0.7
2011	0.79	0.87	0.7
2010	0.79	0.87	0.7
2009	0.77	0.86	0.69
2008	0.77	0.86	0.69
2007	0.76	0.86	0.69
2006	0.76	0.86	0.69
2005	0.76	0.86	0.69
2004	0.76	0.86	0.69
2003	0.76	0.86	0.69
2002	0.76	0.86	0.68
2001	0.76	0.86	0.68
2000	0.76	0.86	0.67
1999	0.76	0.86	0.66
1998	0.74	0.86	0.65
1997	0.74	0.86	0.65
1996	0.74	0.86	0.65
1995	0.74	0.85	0.65
1994	0.73	0.58	0.64
1993	0.72	0.3	0.63
1992	0.54	0.29	0.62
1991	0.51	0.29	0.6
1990	0.5	0.25	0.57
1989	0.46	0.14	0.51
1988	0.46	0.13	0.5
1987	0.46	0.13	0.5
1986	0.39	0.13	0.49
1985	0.36	0.13	0.48
1984	0.36	0.12	0.47
1983	0.36	0.12	0.47
1982	0.37	0.12	0.46
1981	0.36	0.12	0.46
1980	0.36	0.12	0.46
1979	0.36	0.13	0.45
1978	0.34	0.13	0.44
1977	0.34	0.13	0.44
1976	0.34	0.13	0.44
1975	0.34	0.13	0.44
1974	0.34	0.13	0.43
1973	0.34	0.14	0.43
1972	0.34	0.14	0.44
1971	0.34	0.14	0.44
1970	0.35	0.14	0.44
1969	0.53	0.14	0.44
1968	0.53	0.14	0.45
1967	0.53	0.14	0.45
1966	0.53	0.14	0.46
1965	0.34	0.14	0.46
1964	0.32	0.14	0.46
1963	0.32	0.14	0.46
1962	0.32	0.14	0.46
1961	0.32	0.15	0.46
1960	0.31	0.15	0.46
1959	0.27	0.17	0.44
1958	0.27	0.17	0.44
1957	0.27	0.17	0.43
1956	0.27	0.17	0.43
1955	0.27	0.17	0.43
1954	0.27	0.17	0.43
1953	0.27	0.17	0.43
1952	0.27	0.17	0.43
1951	0.24	0.17	0.43
1950	0.24	0.17	0.42
1949	0.23	0.18	0.42
1948	0.23	0.2	0.42
1947	0.23	0.28	0.42
1946	0.23	0.29	0.42
1945	0.23	0.29	0.38
1944	0.23	0.29	0.35
1943	0.23	0.29	0.35
1942	0.23	0.29	0.35
1941	0.23	0.29	0.35
1940	0.23	0.29	0.36
1939	0.23	0.29	0.38
1938	0.23	0.29	0.39
1937	0.23	0.29	0.39
1936	0.23	0.29	0.39
1935	0.23	0.29	0.4
1934	0.23	0.29	0.4
1933	0.23	0.29	0.4
1932	0.23	0.29	0.41
1931	0.23	0.29	0.41
1930	0.23	0.29	0.41
1929	0.23	0.29	0.41
1928	0.23	0.29	0.41
1927	0.23	0.29	0.41
1926	0.23	0.29	0.41
1925	0.23	0.29	0.41
1924	0.23	0.29	0.42
1923	0.23	0.29	0.41
1922	0.23	0.29	0.42
1921	0.23	0.29	0.42
1920	0.23	0.29	0.42
1919	0.23	0.29	0.41
1918	0.23	0.29	0.4
1917	0.23	0.29	0.39
1916	0.23	0.29	0.39
1915	0.23	0.29	0.4
1914	0.23	0.29	0.4
1913	0.23	0.29	0.41
1912	0.23	0.29	0.41
1911	0.23	0.29	0.41
1910	0.23	0.29	0.41
1909	0.23	0.29	0.41
1908	0.23	0.29	0.41
1907	0.23	0.29	0.41
1906	0.23	0.29	0.41
1905	0.23	0.29	0.41
1904	0.23	0.29	0.41
1903	0.23	0.29	0.41
1902	0.23	0.29	0.41
1901	0.23	0.29	0.41
1900	0.23	0.29	0.41
1899	–	–	0.47
1898	–	–	0.47
1897	–	–	0.46
1896	–	–	0.47
1895	–	–	0.46
1894	–	–	0.46
1893	–	–	0.46
1892	–	–	0.45
1891	–	–	0.45
1890	–	–	0.45
1889	–	–	0.45
1888	–	–	0.45
1887	–	–	0.45
1886	–	–	0.44
1885	–	–	0.44
1884	–	–	0.44
1883	–	–	0.44
1882	–	–	0.44
1881	–	–	0.44
1880	–	–	0.44
1879	–	–	0.45
1878	–	–	0.45
1877	–	–	0.44
1876	–	–	0.45
1875	–	–	0.45
1874	–	–	0.45
1873	–	–	0.45
1872	–	–	0.44
1871	–	–	0.45
1870	–	–	0.44
1869	–	–	0.44
1868	–	–	0.43
1867	–	–	0.44
1866	–	–	0.43
1865	–	–	0.43
1864	–	–	0.42
1863	–	–	0.43
1862	–	–	0.43
1861	–	–	0.42
1860	–	–	0.41
1859	–	–	0.4
1858	–	–	0.4
1857	–	–	0.4
1856	–	–	0.4
1855	–	–	0.4
1854	–	–	0.4
1853	–	–	0.4
1852	–	–	0.39
1851	–	–	0.39
1850	–	–	0.39
1849	–	–	0.41
1848	–	–	0.4
1847	–	–	0.38
1846	–	–	0.38
1845	–	–	0.37
1844	–	–	0.37
1843	–	–	0.37
1842	–	–	0.37
1841	–	–	0.37
1840	–	–	0.36
1839	–	–	0.36
1838	–	–	0.36
1837	–	–	0.36
1836	–	–	0.36
1835	–	–	0.36
1834	–	–	0.35
1833	–	–	0.35
1832	–	–	0.35
1831	–	–	0.35
1830	–	–	0.35
1829	–	–	0.35
1828	–	–	0.35
1827	–	–	0.35
1826	–	–	0.35
1825	–	–	0.35
1824	–	–	0.34
1823	–	–	0.35
1822	–	–	0.34
1821	–	–	0.34
1820	–	–	0.33
1819	–	–	0.32
1818	–	–	0.31
1817	–	–	0.31
1816	–	–	0.32
1815	–	–	0.32
1814	–	–	0.3
1813	–	–	0.29
1812	–	–	0.28
1811	–	–	0.28
1810	–	–	0.29
1809	–	–	0.29
1808	–	–	0.28
1807	–	–	0.28
1806	–	–	0.27
1805	–	–	0.27
1804	–	–	0.27
1803	–	–	0.27
1802	–	–	0.27
1801	–	–	0.27
1800	–	–	0.27
1799	–	–	0.28
1798	–	–	0.27
1797	–	–	0.27
1796	–	–	0.27
1795	–	–	0.27
1794	–	–	0.27
1793	–	–	0.27
1792	–	–	0.27
1791	–	–	0.27
1790	–	–	0.27
1789	–	–	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