South Africa vs Netherlands: Human rights

Human rights in 2025: 0.86 of 1 in South Africa and 0.91 of 1 in Netherlands, by V-Dem estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Netherlands, by 0.06 of 1, or 1.06 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

South AfricaNetherlandsWorld

What the numbers say

Netherlands has been higher since 1945, 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	Netherlands	World
2025	0.86	0.91	0.65
2024	0.87	0.9	0.65
2023	0.85	0.92	0.66
2022	0.83	0.93	0.66
2021	0.84	0.93	0.67
2020	0.83	0.93	0.67
2019	0.84	0.93	0.68
2018	0.85	0.94	0.68
2017	0.84	0.94	0.68
2016	0.87	0.94	0.68
2015	0.87	0.94	0.69
2014	0.86	0.94	0.69
2013	0.86	0.94	0.7
2012	0.86	0.94	0.7
2011	0.87	0.94	0.7
2010	0.87	0.94	0.7
2009	0.86	0.95	0.69
2008	0.86	0.95	0.69
2007	0.86	0.95	0.69
2006	0.86	0.95	0.69
2005	0.86	0.95	0.69
2004	0.86	0.95	0.69
2003	0.86	0.95	0.69
2002	0.86	0.95	0.68
2001	0.86	0.95	0.68
2000	0.86	0.95	0.67
1999	0.86	0.95	0.66
1998	0.86	0.95	0.65
1997	0.86	0.95	0.65
1996	0.86	0.95	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	0.95	0.49
1985	0.13	0.95	0.48
1984	0.12	0.95	0.47
1983	0.12	0.95	0.47
1982	0.12	0.95	0.46
1981	0.12	0.95	0.46
1980	0.12	0.95	0.46
1979	0.13	0.95	0.45
1978	0.13	0.95	0.44
1977	0.13	0.95	0.44
1976	0.13	0.94	0.44
1975	0.13	0.94	0.44
1974	0.13	0.94	0.43
1973	0.14	0.94	0.43
1972	0.14	0.94	0.44
1971	0.14	0.94	0.44
1970	0.14	0.94	0.44
1969	0.14	0.94	0.44
1968	0.14	0.93	0.45
1967	0.14	0.93	0.45
1966	0.14	0.93	0.46
1965	0.14	0.92	0.46
1964	0.14	0.92	0.46
1963	0.14	0.92	0.46
1962	0.14	0.92	0.46
1961	0.15	0.92	0.46
1960	0.15	0.92	0.46
1959	0.17	0.9	0.44
1958	0.17	0.9	0.44
1957	0.17	0.9	0.43
1956	0.17	0.9	0.43
1955	0.17	0.9	0.43
1954	0.17	0.9	0.43
1953	0.17	0.9	0.43
1952	0.17	0.89	0.43
1951	0.17	0.89	0.43
1950	0.17	0.89	0.42
1949	0.18	0.89	0.42
1948	0.2	0.82	0.42
1947	0.28	0.82	0.42
1946	0.29	0.82	0.42
1945	0.29	0.4	0.38
1944	0.29	0.28	0.35
1943	0.29	0.28	0.35
1942	0.29	0.28	0.35
1941	0.29	0.28	0.35
1940	0.29	0.36	0.36
1939	0.29	0.85	0.38
1938	0.29	0.85	0.39
1937	0.29	0.85	0.39
1936	0.29	0.85	0.39
1935	0.29	0.85	0.4
1934	0.29	0.85	0.4
1933	0.29	0.85	0.4
1932	0.29	0.85	0.41
1931	0.29	0.85	0.41
1930	0.29	0.85	0.41
1929	0.29	0.85	0.41
1928	0.29	0.85	0.41
1927	0.29	0.85	0.41
1926	0.29	0.85	0.41
1925	0.29	0.85	0.41
1924	0.29	0.85	0.42
1923	0.29	0.85	0.41
1922	0.29	0.85	0.42
1921	0.29	0.85	0.42
1920	0.29	0.85	0.42
1919	0.29	0.85	0.41
1918	0.29	0.85	0.4
1917	0.29	0.84	0.39
1916	0.29	0.84	0.39
1915	0.29	0.84	0.4
1914	0.29	0.84	0.4
1913	0.29	0.84	0.41
1912	0.29	0.85	0.41
1911	0.29	0.85	0.41
1910	0.29	0.85	0.41
1909	0.29	0.85	0.41
1908	0.29	0.85	0.41
1907	0.29	0.85	0.41
1906	0.29	0.85	0.41
1905	0.29	0.85	0.41
1904	0.29	0.85	0.41
1903	0.29	0.85	0.41
1902	0.29	0.85	0.41
1901	0.29	0.85	0.41
1900	0.29	0.85	0.41
1899	–	0.85	0.47
1898	–	0.85	0.47
1897	–	0.85	0.46
1896	–	0.85	0.47
1895	–	0.85	0.46
1894	–	0.85	0.46
1893	–	0.85	0.46
1892	–	0.85	0.45
1891	–	0.85	0.45
1890	–	0.85	0.45
1889	–	0.85	0.45
1888	–	0.85	0.45
1887	–	0.84	0.45
1886	–	0.84	0.44
1885	–	0.84	0.44
1884	–	0.84	0.44
1883	–	0.84	0.44
1882	–	0.84	0.44
1881	–	0.84	0.44
1880	–	0.84	0.44
1879	–	0.84	0.45
1878	–	0.84	0.45
1877	–	0.84	0.44
1876	–	0.84	0.45
1875	–	0.84	0.45
1874	–	0.84	0.45
1873	–	0.84	0.45
1872	–	0.84	0.44
1871	–	0.84	0.45
1870	–	0.84	0.44
1869	–	0.84	0.44
1868	–	0.84	0.43
1867	–	0.84	0.44
1866	–	0.84	0.43
1865	–	0.84	0.43
1864	–	0.84	0.42
1863	–	0.84	0.43
1862	–	0.84	0.43
1861	–	0.84	0.42
1860	–	0.84	0.41
1859	–	0.84	0.4
1858	–	0.84	0.4
1857	–	0.84	0.4
1856	–	0.84	0.4
1855	–	0.84	0.4
1854	–	0.84	0.4
1853	–	0.84	0.4
1852	–	0.84	0.39
1851	–	0.84	0.39
1850	–	0.84	0.39
1849	–	0.84	0.41
1848	–	0.74	0.4
1847	–	0.69	0.38
1846	–	0.69	0.38
1845	–	0.69	0.37
1844	–	0.69	0.37
1843	–	0.69	0.37
1842	–	0.69	0.37
1841	–	0.69	0.37
1840	–	0.69	0.36
1839	–	0.69	0.36
1838	–	0.69	0.36
1837	–	0.69	0.36
1836	–	0.69	0.36
1835	–	0.69	0.36
1834	–	0.69	0.35
1833	–	0.69	0.35
1832	–	0.69	0.35
1831	–	0.69	0.35
1830	–	0.67	0.35
1829	–	0.67	0.35
1828	–	0.67	0.35
1827	–	0.67	0.35
1826	–	0.67	0.35
1825	–	0.67	0.35
1824	–	0.67	0.34
1823	–	0.67	0.35
1822	–	0.67	0.34
1821	–	0.67	0.34
1820	–	0.67	0.33
1819	–	0.67	0.32
1818	–	0.67	0.31
1817	–	0.67	0.31
1816	–	0.67	0.32
1815	–	0.64	0.32
1814	–	0.37	0.3
1813	–	0.37	0.29
1812	–	0.4	0.28
1811	–	0.4	0.28
1810	–	0.37	0.29
1809	–	0.37	0.29
1808	–	0.37	0.28
1807	–	0.37	0.28
1806	–	0.37	0.27
1805	–	0.39	0.27
1804	–	0.43	0.27
1803	–	0.43	0.27
1802	–	0.43	0.27
1801	–	0.42	0.27
1800	–	0.38	0.27
1799	–	0.38	0.28
1798	–	0.34	0.27
1797	–	0.34	0.27
1796	–	0.36	0.27
1795	–	0.35	0.27
1794	–	0.32	0.27
1793	–	0.32	0.27
1792	–	0.32	0.27
1791	–	0.32	0.27
1790	–	0.32	0.27
1789	–	0.32	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

South Africa vs Netherlands

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Electoral democracySouth Africa: 0.74 of 1 in 2025Netherlands: 0.83 of 1 in 2025