Which has higher women's civil liberties index, Malawi or South Africa?

South Africa, at 0.733 against 0.727 in Malawi as of 2025.

What is the difference in women's civil liberties index between Malawi and South Africa?

0.006, with South Africa ahead.

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

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 Women's Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Malawi vs South Africa: Women's Civil Liberties Index

Malawi

0.727

in 2025

South Africa

0.733

in 2025

Malawi rank

78th

South Africa rank

76th

Women's Civil Liberties Index over time

Malawi
South Africa

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.733 against 0.727 in Malawi, a difference of 0.006.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.

Malawi ranks 78th and South Africa ranks 76th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 9.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Malawi	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.037	0.098	0.061	South Africa
1910s	0.0434	0.098	0.0546	South Africa
1920s	0.0466	0.098	0.0514	South Africa
1930s	0.055	0.0998	0.0448	South Africa
1940s	0.055	0.0998	0.0448	South Africa
1950s	0.061	0.105	0.044	South Africa
1960s	0.2083	0.111	0.0973	Malawi
1970s	0.305	0.111	0.194	Malawi
1980s	0.312	0.1163	0.1957	Malawi
1990s	0.5047	0.546	0.0413	South Africa
2000s	0.7245	0.805	0.0805	South Africa
2010s	0.741	0.7869	0.0459	South Africa
2020s	0.7905	0.75	0.0405	Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher women's civil liberties index, Malawi or South Africa?: South Africa, at 0.733 against 0.727 in Malawi as of 2025.
What is the difference in women's civil liberties index between Malawi and South Africa?: 0.006, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for women's civil liberties index?: Malawi ranks 78th and South Africa ranks 76th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Women's Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Malawi vs South Africa: Women's Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/compare/women-civil-liberties-index/malawi/south-africa/

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<a href="https://gender.statizoid.com/compare/women-civil-liberties-index/malawi/south-africa/">Malawi vs South Africa: Women's Civil Liberties Index</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Women's Civil Liberties Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,494 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which women are free from forced labor, have property rights and access to the justice system, and enjoy freedom of movement.