South Africa vs Spain: Human rights

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

South AfricaSpain

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

South AfricaSpainWorld

Latest figures

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Country	Latest	10 years before	Rank in 2025
South Africa	0.86 2025	0.87	54 of 175
Spain	0.94 2025	0.95	13 of 175
World	0.65 2025	0.69

What the numbers say

Spain has been higher since 1959, 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	South Africa	Spain	World
2025	0.86	0.94	0.65
2024	0.87	0.95	0.65
2023	0.85	0.95	0.66
2022	0.83	0.95	0.66
2021	0.84	0.94	0.67
2020	0.83	0.94	0.67
2019	0.84	0.95	0.68
2018	0.85	0.95	0.68
2017	0.84	0.95	0.68
2016	0.87	0.95	0.68
2015	0.87	0.95	0.69
2014	0.86	0.96	0.69
2013	0.86	0.96	0.7
2012	0.86	0.96	0.7
2011	0.87	0.96	0.7
2010	0.87	0.96	0.7
2009	0.86	0.96	0.69
2008	0.86	0.96	0.69
2007	0.86	0.96	0.69
2006	0.86	0.96	0.69
2005	0.86	0.96	0.69
2004	0.86	0.96	0.69
2003	0.86	0.96	0.69
2002	0.86	0.96	0.68
2001	0.86	0.96	0.68
2000	0.86	0.96	0.67
1999	0.86	0.96	0.66
1998	0.86	0.96	0.65
1997	0.86	0.96	0.65
1996	0.86	0.96	0.65
1995	0.85	0.95	0.65
1994	0.58	0.95	0.64
1993	0.3	0.95	0.63
1992	0.29	0.95	0.62
1991	0.29	0.95	0.6
1990	0.25	0.95	0.57
1989	0.14	0.95	0.51
1988	0.13	0.95	0.5
1987	0.13	0.95	0.5
1986	0.13	0.9	0.49
1985	0.13	0.89	0.48
1984	0.12	0.89	0.47
1983	0.12	0.89	0.47
1982	0.12	0.87	0.46
1981	0.12	0.87	0.46
1980	0.12	0.87	0.46
1979	0.13	0.87	0.45
1978	0.13	0.83	0.44
1977	0.13	0.64	0.44
1976	0.13	0.37	0.44
1975	0.13	0.26	0.44
1974	0.13	0.24	0.43
1973	0.14	0.24	0.43
1972	0.14	0.23	0.44
1971	0.14	0.23	0.44
1970	0.14	0.23	0.44
1969	0.14	0.22	0.44
1968	0.14	0.22	0.45
1967	0.14	0.22	0.45
1966	0.14	0.22	0.46
1965	0.14	0.21	0.46
1964	0.14	0.21	0.46
1963	0.14	0.21	0.46
1962	0.14	0.21	0.46
1961	0.15	0.21	0.46
1960	0.15	0.21	0.46
1959	0.17	0.18	0.44
1958	0.17	0.17	0.44
1957	0.17	0.16	0.43
1956	0.17	0.16	0.43
1955	0.17	0.16	0.43
1954	0.17	0.16	0.43
1953	0.17	0.16	0.43
1952	0.17	0.16	0.43
1951	0.17	0.16	0.43
1950	0.17	0.16	0.42
1949	0.18	0.15	0.42
1948	0.2	0.15	0.42
1947	0.28	0.15	0.42
1946	0.29	0.15	0.42
1945	0.29	0.14	0.38
1944	0.29	0.13	0.35
1943	0.29	0.13	0.35
1942	0.29	0.11	0.35
1941	0.29	0.11	0.35
1940	0.29	0.1	0.36
1939	0.29	0.27	0.38
1938	0.29	0.34	0.39
1937	0.29	0.35	0.39
1936	0.29	0.59	0.39
1935	0.29	0.75	0.4
1934	0.29	0.75	0.4
1933	0.29	0.75	0.4
1932	0.29	0.75	0.41
1931	0.29	0.62	0.41
1930	0.29	0.3	0.41
1929	0.29	0.29	0.41
1928	0.29	0.29	0.41
1927	0.29	0.29	0.41
1926	0.29	0.29	0.41
1925	0.29	0.29	0.41
1924	0.29	0.29	0.42
1923	0.29	0.35	0.41
1922	0.29	0.48	0.42
1921	0.29	0.49	0.42
1920	0.29	0.49	0.42
1919	0.29	0.49	0.41
1918	0.29	0.49	0.4
1917	0.29	0.49	0.39
1916	0.29	0.49	0.39
1915	0.29	0.49	0.4
1914	0.29	0.49	0.4
1913	0.29	0.49	0.41
1912	0.29	0.49	0.41
1911	0.29	0.49	0.41
1910	0.29	0.49	0.41
1909	0.29	0.49	0.41
1908	0.29	0.49	0.41
1907	0.29	0.49	0.41
1906	0.29	0.49	0.41
1905	0.29	0.49	0.41
1904	0.29	0.49	0.41
1903	0.29	0.49	0.41
1902	0.29	0.49	0.41
1901	0.29	0.49	0.41
1900	0.29	0.49	0.41
1899	–	0.48	0.47
1898	–	0.48	0.47
1897	–	0.48	0.46
1896	–	0.48	0.47
1895	–	0.48	0.46
1894	–	0.48	0.46
1893	–	0.48	0.46
1892	–	0.48	0.45
1891	–	0.48	0.45
1890	–	0.48	0.45
1889	–	0.48	0.45
1888	–	0.48	0.45
1887	–	0.48	0.45
1886	–	0.48	0.44
1885	–	0.48	0.44
1884	–	0.48	0.44
1883	–	0.48	0.44
1882	–	0.48	0.44
1881	–	0.46	0.44
1880	–	0.45	0.44
1879	–	0.44	0.45
1878	–	0.44	0.45
1877	–	0.44	0.44
1876	–	0.44	0.45
1875	–	0.44	0.45
1874	–	0.51	0.45
1873	–	0.52	0.45
1872	–	0.52	0.44
1871	–	0.52	0.45
1870	–	0.52	0.44
1869	–	0.52	0.44
1868	–	0.42	0.43
1867	–	0.4	0.44
1866	–	0.41	0.43
1865	–	0.41	0.43
1864	–	0.41	0.42
1863	–	0.41	0.43
1862	–	0.41	0.43
1861	–	0.41	0.42
1860	–	0.41	0.41
1859	–	0.41	0.4
1858	–	0.41	0.4
1857	–	0.4	0.4
1856	–	0.44	0.4
1855	–	0.44	0.4
1854	–	0.42	0.4
1853	–	0.39	0.4
1852	–	0.39	0.39
1851	–	0.39	0.39
1850	–	0.39	0.39
1849	–	0.39	0.41
1848	–	0.39	0.4
1847	–	0.4	0.38
1846	–	0.4	0.38
1845	–	0.4	0.37
1844	–	0.4	0.37
1843	–	0.4	0.37
1842	–	0.4	0.37
1841	–	0.4	0.37
1840	–	0.37	0.36
1839	–	0.37	0.36
1838	–	0.37	0.36
1837	–	0.36	0.36
1836	–	0.36	0.36
1835	–	0.32	0.36
1834	–	0.32	0.35
1833	–	0.28	0.35
1832	–	0.28	0.35
1831	–	0.28	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	–	0.46	0.35
1822	–	0.46	0.34
1821	–	0.46	0.34
1820	–	0.38	0.33
1819	–	0.25	0.32
1818	–	0.25	0.31
1817	–	0.25	0.31
1816	–	0.25	0.32
1815	–	0.25	0.32
1814	–	0.32	0.3
1813	–	0.34	0.29
1812	–	0.34	0.28
1811	–	0.34	0.28
1810	–	0.34	0.29
1809	–	0.34	0.29
1808	–	0.32	0.28
1807	–	0.26	0.28
1806	–	0.26	0.27
1805	–	0.26	0.27
1804	–	0.26	0.27
1803	–	0.26	0.27
1802	–	0.26	0.27
1801	–	0.26	0.27
1800	–	0.26	0.27
1799	–	0.26	0.28
1798	–	0.26	0.27
1797	–	0.26	0.27
1796	–	0.26	0.27
1795	–	0.26	0.27
1794	–	0.26	0.27
1793	–	0.26	0.27
1792	–	0.26	0.27
1791	–	0.26	0.27
1790	–	0.26	0.27
1789	–	0.26	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