Estonia vs South Africa: Free country
Estonia
2
in 2025
South Africa
2
in 2025
Estonia rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Free country over time
- Estonia
- South Africa
How they compare
Estonia currently reports 2 against 2 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 53 shared years of data; in 1972 it was South Africa ahead.
Estonia ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 199 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Estonia averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Estonia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 0.875 | 0.875 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 0 | 0.8889 | 0.8889 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.2 | Estonia |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher free country, Estonia or South Africa?
- Estonia, at 2 against 2 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in free country between Estonia and South Africa?
- 0, with Estonia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Estonia and South Africa?
- 53 years are reported by both, from 1972 to 2025.
- How do Estonia and South Africa rank globally for free country?
- Estonia ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Free country. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The variable identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between free countries (score 2), partly free countries (score 1), and not free countries (score 0).