Safety and Rule of Law in South Africa

South Africa: Safety and Rule of Law was 71.49 in 2011. ▼ Falling

Latest (2011)
71.49
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
7th
of 52 countries
All-time high
74.23
in 2000
All-time low
69.12
in 2009
Years of data
12
2000–2011

Safety and Rule of Law in South Africa, 2000–2011

0204060802000200520112000: 74.22001: 73.62002: 73.32003: 732004: 72.42005: 73.72006: 73.42007: 71.52008: 71.12009: 69.12010: 69.52011: 71.5

Source: Mo Ibrahim Foundation, electronic files and web site.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 71.49 for safety and rule of law in 2011.

The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, safety and rule of law in South Africa peaked at 74.23 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 69.12, in 2009.

South Africa ranks 7th of 52 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.

Safety and Rule of Law in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Safety and Rule of Law in South Africa, 2000 to 2011.
Year Value Change
2000 74.23
2001 73.63 -0.8%
2002 73.35 -0.4%
2003 73.03 -0.4%
2004 72.38 -0.9%
2005 73.72 +1.8%
2006 73.37 -0.5%
2007 71.46 -2.6%
2008 71.09 -0.5%
2009 69.12 -2.8%
2010 69.49 +0.5%
2011 71.49 +2.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 72.54 69.12 74.23 10
2010s 70.49 69.49 71.49 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 4 Namibia 78 compare
  2. 5 Seychelles 74.59 compare
  3. 6 Ghana 72.04 compare
  4. 8 Lesotho 68.9 compare
  5. 9 Sao Tome and Principe 64.93 compare
  6. 10 Benin 64.81 compare

See the full ranking of 58 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is safety and rule of law in South Africa?
Safety and rule of law in South Africa was 71.49 in 2011, according to Mo Ibrahim Foundation, electronic files and web site.
What is the highest safety and rule of law recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 74.23 in 2000.
What is the lowest safety and rule of law recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 69.12 in 2009.
How does South Africa rank for safety and rule of law?
South Africa ranks 7th out of 52 countries with data for 2011.
Is safety and rule of law rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Mo Ibrahim Foundation, electronic files and web site, published as part of Safety and Rule of Law. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Safety and Rule of Law in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Mo Ibrahim Foundation, electronic files and web site. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/safety-and-rule-of-law/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Safety and Rule of Law
Source
Mo Ibrahim Foundation, electronic files and web site
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
58 places, 696 data points, 2000–2011
Last refreshed

Personal Safety: Within this sub-category the Ibrahim Index measures: (i) Safety of the Person – level of criminality in a country. (ii) Violent Crime – prevalence of violent crime, both organised and common. (iii) Social Unrest – prevalence of violent social unrest. (iv) Human Trafficking – government efforts to combat human trafficking. (v) Domestic Political Persecution – clustered indicator (an average) of the following variables: Physical Integrity Rights Index – government respect for citizens’ rights to freedom from torture, extrajudicial killing, political imprisonment, and disappearance. Political Terror Scale – levels of state-instigated political violence and terror.