Perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage in South Africa
South Africa: Perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage was 65 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
65
Change on year
down 12.2%
World rank
178th
of 195 countries
All-time high
86
in 2021
All-time low
65
in 2025
Years of data
43
1983–2025
Perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage in South Africa, 1983–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage in South Africa stood at 65. That is the lowest value across all 43 years on record.
The figure is down 12.2% on the previous year and down 23.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage in South Africa peaked at 86 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 65, in 2025.
That places South Africa 178th out of 195 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 74 | — |
| 1984 | 75 | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 75 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 70 | -6.7% |
| 1987 | 72 | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 70 | -2.8% |
| 1989 | 71 | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 72 | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 81 | +12.5% |
| 1992 | 79 | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 81 | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 73 | -9.9% |
| 1995 | 72 | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 73 | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 76 | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 75 | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 74 | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 73 | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 71 | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 70 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 69 | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 74 | +7.2% |
| 2005 | 81 | +9.5% |
| 2006 | 84 | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 85 | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 82 | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 81 | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 77 | -4.9% |
| 2011 | 75 | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 71 | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 81 | +14.1% |
| 2014 | 85 | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 85 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 85 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 84 | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 82 | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 85 | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 84 | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 86 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 85 | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 79 | -7.1% |
| 2024 | 74 | -6.3% |
| 2025 | 65 | -12.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 65 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 91, 71% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 65 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84, 77% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 72.43 | 70 | 75 | 7 |
| 1990s | 75.6 | 72 | 81 | 10 |
| 2000s | 77 | 69 | 85 | 10 |
| 2010s | 81 | 71 | 85 | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.83 | 65 | 86 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 3,333 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.046 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage in South Africa?
- Perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage in South Africa was 65 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 86 in 2021.
- What is the lowest perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 65 in 2025.
- How does South Africa rank for perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage?
- South Africa ranks 178th out of 195 countries with data for 2025.
- Is perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.5%. 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 Perception of the safety of vaccines vs vaccine coverage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).