Japan vs South Africa: Free country
Japan
2
in 2025
South Africa
2
in 2025
Japan rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Free country over time
- Japan
- South Africa
How they compare
Japan currently reports 2 against 2 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 53 shared years of data; in 1972 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 199 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2 | 0.875 | 1.12 | Japan |
| 1980s | 2 | 0.8889 | 1.11 | Japan |
| 1990s | 2 | 1.6 | 0.4 | Japan |
| 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, Japan or South Africa?
- Japan, at 2 against 2 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in free country between Japan and South Africa?
- 0, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
- 53 years are reported by both, from 1972 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for free country?
- Japan 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).