Individual liberties and equality before the law index in South Africa

South Africa: Individual liberties and equality before the law index was 0.861 in 2025. β—† Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.861
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
55th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.889
in 2010
All-time low
0.106
in 1971
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Individual liberties and equality before the law index in South Africa, 1900–2025

0.20.40.60.8190019622025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for individual liberties and equality before the law index in South Africa is 0.861, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, individual liberties and equality before the law index in South Africa peaked at 0.889 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.106, in 1971.

South Africa ranks 55th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.155 0.155 0.155 10
1910s 0.155 0.155 0.155 10
1920s 0.155 0.155 0.155 10
1930s 0.1604 0.155 0.161 10
1940s 0.1551 0.126 0.161 10
1950s 0.122 0.122 0.122 10
1960s 0.1086 0.108 0.111 10
1970s 0.1082 0.106 0.109 10
1980s 0.1109 0.108 0.118 10
1990s 0.573 0.193 0.865 10
2000s 0.8748 0.873 0.875 10
2010s 0.8666 0.832 0.889 10
2020s 0.8482 0.835 0.865 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 52 Mauritius 0.865 compare
  2. 53 Gabon 0.863 compare
  3. 54 Republic of Moldova 0.862 compare
  4. 56 Brazil 0.86 compare
  5. 57 Romania 0.849 compare
  6. 58 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.848 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places β†’

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is individual liberties and equality before the law index in South Africa?
Individual liberties and equality before the law index in South Africa was 0.861 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest individual liberties and equality before the law index recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.889 in 2010.
What is the lowest individual liberties and equality before the law index recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.106 in 1971.
How does South Africa rank for individual liberties and equality before the law index?
South Africa ranks 55th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is individual liberties and equality before the law index rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Individual liberties and equality before the law index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV Β· JSON β€” 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Individual liberties and equality before the law index in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/individual-liberties-and-equality-before-the-law-index/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/individual-liberties-and-equality-before-the-law-index/south-africa/">Individual liberties and equality before the law index in South Africa</a> β€” Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Individual liberties and equality before the law index
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,494 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed