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