South Africa vs United States: Human rights

Human rights in 2025: 0.86 of 1 in South Africa and 0.83 of 1 in United States, by V-Dem estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Africa, by 0.03 of 1, or 1.04 times that in United States.

Watch it change on the map

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

South AfricaUnited StatesWorld

What the numbers say

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

Every year

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Year	South Africa	United States	World
2025	0.86	0.83	0.65
2024	0.87	0.93	0.65
2023	0.85	0.93	0.66
2022	0.83	0.94	0.66
2021	0.84	0.94	0.67
2020	0.83	0.92	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	0.95	0.68
2015	0.87	0.95	0.69
2014	0.86	0.95	0.69
2013	0.86	0.95	0.7
2012	0.86	0.95	0.7
2011	0.87	0.95	0.7
2010	0.87	0.95	0.7
2009	0.86	0.95	0.69
2008	0.86	0.94	0.69
2007	0.86	0.92	0.69
2006	0.86	0.91	0.69
2005	0.86	0.92	0.69
2004	0.86	0.91	0.69
2003	0.86	0.91	0.69
2002	0.86	0.93	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	0.94	0.51
1988	0.13	0.94	0.5
1987	0.13	0.94	0.5
1986	0.13	0.94	0.49
1985	0.13	0.94	0.48
1984	0.12	0.94	0.47
1983	0.12	0.94	0.47
1982	0.12	0.94	0.46
1981	0.12	0.94	0.46
1980	0.12	0.93	0.46
1979	0.13	0.92	0.45
1978	0.13	0.92	0.44
1977	0.13	0.92	0.44
1976	0.13	0.91	0.44
1975	0.13	0.91	0.44
1974	0.13	0.9	0.43
1973	0.14	0.9	0.43
1972	0.14	0.89	0.44
1971	0.14	0.88	0.44
1970	0.14	0.88	0.44
1969	0.14	0.86	0.44
1968	0.14	0.84	0.45
1967	0.14	0.82	0.45
1966	0.14	0.82	0.46
1965	0.14	0.81	0.46
1964	0.14	0.8	0.46
1963	0.14	0.8	0.46
1962	0.14	0.8	0.46
1961	0.15	0.8	0.46
1960	0.15	0.79	0.46
1959	0.17	0.78	0.44
1958	0.17	0.78	0.44
1957	0.17	0.78	0.43
1956	0.17	0.77	0.43
1955	0.17	0.77	0.43
1954	0.17	0.77	0.43
1953	0.17	0.77	0.43
1952	0.17	0.77	0.43
1951	0.17	0.77	0.43
1950	0.17	0.77	0.42
1949	0.18	0.77	0.42
1948	0.2	0.77	0.42
1947	0.28	0.77	0.42
1946	0.29	0.76	0.42
1945	0.29	0.72	0.38
1944	0.29	0.72	0.35
1943	0.29	0.72	0.35
1942	0.29	0.72	0.35
1941	0.29	0.73	0.35
1940	0.29	0.74	0.36
1939	0.29	0.75	0.38
1938	0.29	0.76	0.39
1937	0.29	0.76	0.39
1936	0.29	0.76	0.39
1935	0.29	0.76	0.4
1934	0.29	0.76	0.4
1933	0.29	0.76	0.4
1932	0.29	0.74	0.41
1931	0.29	0.74	0.41
1930	0.29	0.73	0.41
1929	0.29	0.73	0.41
1928	0.29	0.73	0.41
1927	0.29	0.73	0.41
1926	0.29	0.73	0.41
1925	0.29	0.73	0.41
1924	0.29	0.73	0.42
1923	0.29	0.73	0.41
1922	0.29	0.73	0.42
1921	0.29	0.72	0.42
1920	0.29	0.72	0.42
1919	0.29	0.71	0.41
1918	0.29	0.7	0.4
1917	0.29	0.71	0.39
1916	0.29	0.73	0.39
1915	0.29	0.73	0.4
1914	0.29	0.73	0.4
1913	0.29	0.73	0.41
1912	0.29	0.73	0.41
1911	0.29	0.73	0.41
1910	0.29	0.73	0.41
1909	0.29	0.73	0.41
1908	0.29	0.73	0.41
1907	0.29	0.73	0.41
1906	0.29	0.73	0.41
1905	0.29	0.73	0.41
1904	0.29	0.73	0.41
1903	0.29	0.73	0.41
1902	0.29	0.74	0.41
1901	0.29	0.74	0.41
1900	0.29	0.73	0.41
1899	–	0.73	0.47
1898	–	0.73	0.47
1897	–	0.73	0.46
1896	–	0.73	0.47
1895	–	0.73	0.46
1894	–	0.73	0.46
1893	–	0.73	0.46
1892	–	0.73	0.45
1891	–	0.73	0.45
1890	–	0.73	0.45
1889	–	0.73	0.45
1888	–	0.73	0.45
1887	–	0.72	0.45
1886	–	0.72	0.44
1885	–	0.73	0.44
1884	–	0.73	0.44
1883	–	0.73	0.44
1882	–	0.73	0.44
1881	–	0.73	0.44
1880	–	0.73	0.44
1879	–	0.73	0.45
1878	–	0.73	0.45
1877	–	0.73	0.44
1876	–	0.73	0.45
1875	–	0.73	0.45
1874	–	0.73	0.45
1873	–	0.73	0.45
1872	–	0.73	0.44
1871	–	0.73	0.45
1870	–	0.73	0.44
1869	–	0.73	0.44
1868	–	0.73	0.43
1867	–	0.73	0.44
1866	–	0.73	0.43
1865	–	0.69	0.43
1864	–	0.69	0.42
1863	–	0.69	0.43
1862	–	0.69	0.43
1861	–	0.67	0.42
1860	–	0.63	0.41
1859	–	0.59	0.4
1858	–	0.59	0.4
1857	–	0.59	0.4
1856	–	0.59	0.4
1855	–	0.59	0.4
1854	–	0.59	0.4
1853	–	0.59	0.4
1852	–	0.59	0.39
1851	–	0.59	0.39
1850	–	0.59	0.39
1849	–	0.59	0.41
1848	–	0.56	0.4
1847	–	0.56	0.38
1846	–	0.56	0.38
1845	–	0.56	0.37
1844	–	0.56	0.37
1843	–	0.56	0.37
1842	–	0.56	0.37
1841	–	0.56	0.37
1840	–	0.56	0.36
1839	–	0.56	0.36
1838	–	0.56	0.36
1837	–	0.6	0.36
1836	–	0.6	0.36
1835	–	0.6	0.36
1834	–	0.6	0.35
1833	–	0.6	0.35
1832	–	0.6	0.35
1831	–	0.6	0.35
1830	–	0.6	0.35
1829	–	0.6	0.35
1828	–	0.6	0.35
1827	–	0.6	0.35
1826	–	0.6	0.35
1825	–	0.6	0.35
1824	–	0.6	0.34
1823	–	0.6	0.35
1822	–	0.6	0.34
1821	–	0.6	0.34
1820	–	0.6	0.33
1819	–	0.6	0.32
1818	–	0.6	0.31
1817	–	0.6	0.31
1816	–	0.6	0.32
1815	–	0.6	0.32
1814	–	0.6	0.3
1813	–	0.6	0.29
1812	–	0.6	0.28
1811	–	0.6	0.28
1810	–	0.6	0.29
1809	–	0.6	0.29
1808	–	0.6	0.28
1807	–	0.6	0.28
1806	–	0.6	0.27
1805	–	0.6	0.27
1804	–	0.6	0.27
1803	–	0.6	0.27
1802	–	0.6	0.27
1801	–	0.6	0.27
1800	–	0.58	0.27
1799	–	0.58	0.28
1798	–	0.59	0.27
1797	–	0.6	0.27
1796	–	0.6	0.27
1795	–	0.6	0.27
1794	–	0.6	0.27
1793	–	0.6	0.27
1792	–	0.6	0.27
1791	–	0.6	0.27
1790	–	0.6	0.27
1789	–	0.6	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 United States

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Electoral democracySouth Africa: 0.74 of 1 in 2025United States: 0.74 of 1 in 2025

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSouth Africa: 0 deaths in 2022United States: 1 deaths in 2022