Malta vs South Africa: Free country
Malta
2
in 2025
South Africa
2
in 2025
Malta rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Free country over time
- Malta
- South Africa
How they compare
Malta currently reports 2 against 2 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 53 shared years of data; in 1972 it was Malta ahead.
Malta ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 199 countries.
Malta has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malta | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2 | 0.875 | 1.12 | Malta |
| 1980s | 1.56 | 0.8889 | 0.6667 | Malta |
| 1990s | 2 | 1.6 | 0.4 | Malta |
| 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, Malta or South Africa?
- Malta, at 2 against 2 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in free country between Malta and South Africa?
- 0, with Malta ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malta and South Africa?
- 53 years are reported by both, from 1972 to 2025.
- How do Malta and South Africa rank globally for free country?
- Malta 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).