Which has higher strong civil society index, South Africa or United States?

United States, at 0.924 against 0.916 in South Africa as of 2025.

What is the difference in strong civil society index between South Africa and United States?

0.008, with United States ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Strong Civil Society Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

South Africa vs United States: Strong Civil Society Index

South Africa

0.916

in 2025

United States

0.924

in 2025

South Africa rank

20th

United States rank

17th

Strong Civil Society Index over time

South Africa
United States

How they compare

United States currently reports 0.924 against 0.916 in South Africa, a difference of 0.008.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was United States ahead.

South Africa ranks 20th and United States ranks 17th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and United States in 12.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Africa	United States	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.496	0.829	0.333	United States
1910s	0.48	0.8245	0.3445	United States
1920s	0.48	0.8257	0.3457	United States
1930s	0.48	0.8263	0.3463	United States
1940s	0.4388	0.8336	0.3948	United States
1950s	0.258	0.818	0.56	United States
1960s	0.258	0.8676	0.6096	United States
1970s	0.2625	0.906	0.6435	United States
1980s	0.282	0.9572	0.6752	United States
1990s	0.8271	0.968	0.1409	United States
2000s	0.98	0.9645	0.0155	South Africa
2010s	0.9419	0.9706	0.0287	United States
2020s	0.9127	0.9592	0.0465	United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher strong civil society index, South Africa or United States?: United States, at 0.924 against 0.916 in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in strong civil society index between South Africa and United States?: 0.008, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do South Africa and United States rank globally for strong civil society index?: South Africa ranks 20th and United States ranks 17th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Strong Civil Society Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs United States: Strong Civil Society Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/strong-civil-society-index/south-africa/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator: Strong Civil Society Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,138 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which interest groups, labor unions, charities, and other civil society organizations are autonomous from the state and can freely pursue their goals. The index ranges from 0 to 1 (strongest).