Malawi vs South Africa: Human rights

Human rights in 2025: 0.81 of 1 in Malawi and 0.86 of 1 in South Africa, by V-Dem estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Africa, by 0.05 of 1, or 1.06 times that in Malawi.

Watch it change on the map

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

MalawiSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

South Africa has been higher since 2022, when it overtook Malawi.
The world as a whole: 0.65 of 1 in 2025.

Every year

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Year	Malawi	South Africa	World
2025	0.81	0.86	0.65
2024	0.8	0.87	0.65
2023	0.79	0.85	0.66
2022	0.82	0.83	0.66
2021	0.87	0.84	0.67
2020	0.87	0.83	0.67
2019	0.83	0.84	0.68
2018	0.83	0.85	0.68
2017	0.8	0.84	0.68
2016	0.78	0.87	0.68
2015	0.82	0.87	0.69
2014	0.77	0.86	0.69
2013	0.78	0.86	0.7
2012	0.74	0.86	0.7
2011	0.72	0.87	0.7
2010	0.73	0.87	0.7
2009	0.72	0.86	0.69
2008	0.72	0.86	0.69
2007	0.73	0.86	0.69
2006	0.73	0.86	0.69
2005	0.73	0.86	0.69
2004	0.68	0.86	0.69
2003	0.65	0.86	0.69
2002	0.65	0.86	0.68
2001	0.65	0.86	0.68
2000	0.61	0.86	0.67
1999	0.6	0.86	0.66
1998	0.6	0.86	0.65
1997	0.6	0.86	0.65
1996	0.6	0.86	0.65
1995	0.58	0.85	0.65
1994	0.35	0.58	0.64
1993	0.16	0.3	0.63
1992	0.09	0.29	0.62
1991	0.09	0.29	0.6
1990	0.09	0.25	0.57
1989	0.09	0.14	0.51
1988	0.09	0.13	0.5
1987	0.09	0.13	0.5
1986	0.09	0.13	0.49
1985	0.09	0.13	0.48
1984	0.09	0.12	0.47
1983	0.09	0.12	0.47
1982	0.09	0.12	0.46
1981	0.09	0.12	0.46
1980	0.09	0.12	0.46
1979	0.09	0.13	0.45
1978	0.09	0.13	0.44
1977	0.09	0.13	0.44
1976	0.09	0.13	0.44
1975	0.09	0.13	0.44
1974	0.09	0.13	0.43
1973	0.09	0.14	0.43
1972	0.09	0.14	0.44
1971	0.09	0.14	0.44
1970	0.08	0.14	0.44
1969	0.08	0.14	0.44
1968	0.08	0.14	0.45
1967	0.08	0.14	0.45
1966	0.08	0.14	0.46
1965	0.12	0.14	0.46
1964	0.13	0.14	0.46
1963	0.15	0.14	0.46
1962	0.15	0.14	0.46
1961	0.15	0.15	0.46
1960	0.12	0.15	0.46
1959	0.08	0.17	0.44
1958	0.08	0.17	0.44
1957	0.08	0.17	0.43
1956	0.08	0.17	0.43
1955	0.08	0.17	0.43
1954	0.07	0.17	0.43
1953	0.07	0.17	0.43
1952	0.07	0.17	0.43
1951	0.07	0.17	0.43
1950	0.07	0.17	0.42
1949	0.07	0.18	0.42
1948	0.07	0.2	0.42
1947	0.07	0.28	0.42
1946	0.07	0.29	0.42
1945	0.07	0.29	0.38
1944	0.07	0.29	0.35
1943	0.07	0.29	0.35
1942	0.07	0.29	0.35
1941	0.07	0.29	0.35
1940	0.07	0.29	0.36
1939	0.07	0.29	0.38
1938	0.07	0.29	0.39
1937	0.07	0.29	0.39
1936	0.07	0.29	0.39
1935	0.07	0.29	0.4
1934	0.07	0.29	0.4
1933	0.07	0.29	0.4
1932	0.07	0.29	0.41
1931	0.07	0.29	0.41
1930	0.07	0.29	0.41
1929	0.07	0.29	0.41
1928	0.07	0.29	0.41
1927	0.06	0.29	0.41
1926	0.06	0.29	0.41
1925	0.06	0.29	0.41
1924	0.06	0.29	0.42
1923	0.06	0.29	0.41
1922	0.06	0.29	0.42
1921	0.06	0.29	0.42
1920	0.06	0.29	0.42
1919	0.06	0.29	0.41
1918	0.06	0.29	0.4
1917	0.06	0.29	0.39
1916	0.06	0.29	0.39
1915	0.06	0.29	0.4
1914	0.06	0.29	0.4
1913	0.06	0.29	0.41
1912	0.06	0.29	0.41
1911	0.06	0.29	0.41
1910	0.06	0.29	0.41
1909	0.06	0.29	0.41
1908	0.06	0.29	0.41
1907	0.06	0.29	0.41
1906	0.06	0.29	0.41
1905	0.06	0.29	0.41
1904	0.06	0.29	0.41
1903	0.06	0.29	0.41
1902	0.06	0.29	0.41
1901	0.06	0.29	0.41
1900	0.06	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

Malawi vs South Africa: Human rights

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

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