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