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