Which has higher political civil liberties index, Cyprus or South Africa?

South Africa, at 0.884 against 0.879 in Cyprus as of 2025.

What is the difference in political civil liberties index between Cyprus and South Africa?

0.005, with South Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Cyprus and South Africa?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Cyprus vs South Africa: Political Civil Liberties Index

Cyprus

0.879

in 2025

South Africa

0.884

in 2025

Cyprus rank

49th

South Africa rank

48th

Political Civil Liberties Index over time

Cyprus
South Africa

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.884 against 0.879 in Cyprus, a difference of 0.005.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.

Cyprus ranks 49th and South Africa ranks 48th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Cyprus averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Cyprus	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.3483	0.387	0.0387	South Africa
1910s	0.347	0.408	0.061	South Africa
1920s	0.347	0.408	0.061	South Africa
1930s	0.2906	0.408	0.1174	South Africa
1940s	0.3305	0.3811	0.0506	South Africa
1950s	0.3062	0.277	0.0292	Cyprus
1960s	0.6799	0.2347	0.4452	Cyprus
1970s	0.7494	0.2189	0.5305	Cyprus
1980s	0.8246	0.2024	0.6222	Cyprus
1990s	0.8806	0.7387	0.1419	Cyprus
2000s	0.9133	0.9197	0.0064	South Africa
2010s	0.9265	0.8953	0.0312	Cyprus
2020s	0.8843	0.8848	0.0005	South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher political civil liberties index, Cyprus or South Africa?: South Africa, at 0.884 against 0.879 in Cyprus as of 2025.
What is the difference in political civil liberties index between Cyprus and South Africa?: 0.005, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Cyprus and South Africa?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Cyprus and South Africa rank globally for political civil liberties index?: Cyprus ranks 49th and South Africa ranks 48th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Cyprus vs South Africa: Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-civil-liberties-index/cyprus/south-africa/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-civil-liberties-index/cyprus/south-africa/">Cyprus vs South Africa: Political Civil Liberties Index</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Political Civil Liberties Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,211 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which people enjoy the freedoms of expression and association.