Strong civil society index in South Africa

South Africa: Strong civil society index was 0.916 in 2025. β–² Rising

Latest (2025)
0.916
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
20th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.98
in 1995
All-time low
0.258
in 1950
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Strong civil society index in South Africa, 1900–2025

0.20.40.60.81190019622025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for strong civil society index in South Africa is 0.916, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, strong civil society index in South Africa peaked at 0.98 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.258, in 1950.

That places South Africa 20th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.496 0.496 0.496 10
1910s 0.48 0.48 0.48 10
1920s 0.48 0.48 0.48 10
1930s 0.48 0.48 0.48 10
1940s 0.4388 0.274 0.48 10
1950s 0.258 0.258 0.258 10
1960s 0.258 0.258 0.258 10
1970s 0.2625 0.258 0.273 10
1980s 0.282 0.282 0.282 10
1990s 0.8271 0.565 0.98 10
2000s 0.98 0.98 0.98 10
2010s 0.9419 0.918 0.969 10
2020s 0.9127 0.911 0.916 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 17 United States 0.924 compare
  2. 18 Timor-Leste 0.922 compare
  3. 19 Lesotho 0.921 compare
  4. 20 Mauritius 0.916 compare
  5. 22 Honduras 0.915 compare
  6. 22 Namibia 0.915 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 strong civil society index in South Africa?
Strong civil society index in South Africa was 0.916 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest strong civil society index recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.98 in 1995.
What is the lowest strong civil society index recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.258 in 1950.
How does South Africa rank for strong civil society index?
South Africa ranks 20th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is strong civil society index rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Strong civil society index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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

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Strong civil society index in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/strong-civil-society-index/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Strong civil society index
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,138 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed