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

Panama, at 0.885 against 0.884 in South Africa as of 2025.

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

123 years are reported by both, from 1903 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.

Panama vs South Africa: Political Civil Liberties Index

Panama

0.885

in 2025

South Africa

0.884

in 2025

Panama rank

47th

South Africa rank

48th

Political Civil Liberties Index over time

Panama
South Africa

How they compare

Panama currently reports 0.885 against 0.884 in South Africa, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 8 times across 123 shared years of data; in 1903 it was Panama ahead.

Panama ranks 47th and South Africa ranks 48th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Panama averaged higher in 9 and South Africa in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Panama	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.598	0.387	0.211	Panama
1910s	0.598	0.408	0.19	Panama
1920s	0.598	0.408	0.19	Panama
1930s	0.6193	0.408	0.2113	Panama
1940s	0.6216	0.3811	0.2405	Panama
1950s	0.6187	0.277	0.3417	Panama
1960s	0.5565	0.2347	0.3218	Panama
1970s	0.1455	0.2189	0.0734	South Africa
1980s	0.223	0.2024	0.0206	Panama
1990s	0.8636	0.7387	0.1249	Panama
2000s	0.89	0.9197	0.0297	South Africa
2010s	0.8821	0.8953	0.0132	South Africa
2020s	0.8692	0.8848	0.0157	South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher political civil liberties index, Panama or South Africa?: Panama, at 0.885 against 0.884 in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in political civil liberties index between Panama and South Africa?: 0.001, with Panama ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Panama and South Africa?: 123 years are reported by both, from 1903 to 2025.
How do Panama and South Africa rank globally for political civil liberties index?: Panama ranks 47th 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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Panama 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/panama/south-africa/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-civil-liberties-index/panama/south-africa/">Panama 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.