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Women's Civil Liberties Index in South Africa

South Africa: Women's Civil Liberties Index was 0.733 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.733
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
76th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.815
in 2011
All-time low
0.098
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Women's Civil Liberties Index in South Africa, 1900–2025

00.20.40.60.8190019622025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for women's civil liberties index in South Africa is 0.733, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, women's civil liberties index in South Africa peaked at 0.815 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.098, in 1900.

South Africa ranks 76th 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.

Women's Civil Liberties Index in South Africa, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.098 —
1901 0.098 +0.0%
1902 0.098 +0.0%
1903 0.098 +0.0%
1904 0.098 +0.0%
1905 0.098 +0.0%
1906 0.098 +0.0%
1907 0.098 +0.0%
1908 0.098 +0.0%
1909 0.098 +0.0%
1910 0.098 +0.0%
1911 0.098 +0.0%
1912 0.098 +0.0%
1913 0.098 +0.0%
1914 0.098 +0.0%
1915 0.098 +0.0%
1916 0.098 +0.0%
1917 0.098 +0.0%
1918 0.098 +0.0%
1919 0.098 +0.0%
1920 0.098 +0.0%
1921 0.098 +0.0%
1922 0.098 +0.0%
1923 0.098 +0.0%
1924 0.098 +0.0%
1925 0.098 +0.0%
1926 0.098 +0.0%
1927 0.098 +0.0%
1928 0.098 +0.0%
1929 0.098 +0.0%
1930 0.098 +0.0%
1931 0.1 +2.0%
1932 0.1 +0.0%
1933 0.1 +0.0%
1934 0.1 +0.0%
1935 0.1 +0.0%
1936 0.1 +0.0%
1937 0.1 +0.0%
1938 0.1 +0.0%
1939 0.1 +0.0%
1940 0.1 +0.0%
1941 0.1 +0.0%
1942 0.1 +0.0%
1943 0.1 +0.0%
1944 0.1 +0.0%
1945 0.1 +0.0%
1946 0.1 +0.0%
1947 0.1 +0.0%
1948 0.1 +0.0%
1949 0.098 -2.0%
1950 0.105 +7.1%
1951 0.105 +0.0%
1952 0.105 +0.0%
1953 0.105 +0.0%
1954 0.105 +0.0%
1955 0.105 +0.0%
1956 0.105 +0.0%
1957 0.105 +0.0%
1958 0.105 +0.0%
1959 0.105 +0.0%
1960 0.111 +5.7%
1961 0.111 +0.0%
1962 0.111 +0.0%
1963 0.111 +0.0%
1964 0.111 +0.0%
1965 0.111 +0.0%
1966 0.111 +0.0%
1967 0.111 +0.0%
1968 0.111 +0.0%
1969 0.111 +0.0%
1970 0.111 +0.0%
1971 0.111 +0.0%
1972 0.111 +0.0%
1973 0.111 +0.0%
1974 0.111 +0.0%
1975 0.111 +0.0%
1976 0.111 +0.0%
1977 0.111 +0.0%
1978 0.111 +0.0%
1979 0.111 +0.0%
1980 0.114 +2.7%
1981 0.114 +0.0%
1982 0.114 +0.0%
1983 0.114 +0.0%
1984 0.114 +0.0%
1985 0.114 +0.0%
1986 0.117 +2.6%
1987 0.117 +0.0%
1988 0.117 +0.0%
1989 0.128 +9.4%
1990 0.161 +25.8%
1991 0.19 +18.0%
1992 0.19 +0.0%
1993 0.19 +0.0%
1994 0.7 +268.4%
1995 0.809 +15.6%
1996 0.805 -0.5%
1997 0.805 +0.0%
1998 0.805 +0.0%
1999 0.805 +0.0%
2000 0.805 +0.0%
2001 0.805 +0.0%
2002 0.805 +0.0%
2003 0.805 +0.0%
2004 0.805 +0.0%
2005 0.805 +0.0%
2006 0.805 +0.0%
2007 0.805 +0.0%
2008 0.805 +0.0%
2009 0.805 +0.0%
2010 0.81 +0.6%
2011 0.815 +0.6%
2012 0.815 +0.0%
2013 0.786 -3.6%
2014 0.786 +0.0%
2015 0.776 -1.3%
2016 0.776 +0.0%
2017 0.783 +0.9%
2018 0.767 -2.0%
2019 0.755 -1.6%
2020 0.747 -1.1%
2021 0.768 +2.8%
2022 0.753 -2.0%
2023 0.738 -2.0%
2024 0.761 +3.1%
2025 0.733 -3.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.098 0.098 0.098 10
1910s 0.098 0.098 0.098 10
1920s 0.098 0.098 0.098 10
1930s 0.0998 0.098 0.1 10
1940s 0.0998 0.098 0.1 10
1950s 0.105 0.105 0.105 10
1960s 0.111 0.111 0.111 10
1970s 0.111 0.111 0.111 10
1980s 0.1163 0.114 0.128 10
1990s 0.546 0.161 0.809 10
2000s 0.805 0.805 0.805 10
2010s 0.7869 0.755 0.815 10
2020s 0.75 0.733 0.768 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 73 Mongolia 0.752 compare
  2. 74 Niger 0.741 compare
  3. 75 Sri Lanka 0.734 compare
  4. 77 Botswana 0.73 compare
  5. 78 Malawi 0.727 compare
  6. 79 Bangladesh 0.725 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More gender data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is women's civil liberties index in South Africa?
Women's civil liberties index in South Africa was 0.733 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest women's civil liberties index recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.815 in 2011.
What is the lowest women's civil liberties index recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.098 in 1900.
How does South Africa rank for women's civil liberties index?
South Africa ranks 76th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is women's civil liberties index rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Women's Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Women's Civil Liberties Index in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/women-civil-liberties-index/south-africa/

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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

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.