South Africa · share of its news about armed violence, last 12 months
South Africa: how tense is it right now?
5.0% of the news located in South Africa this week is about armed violence (war and terrorism): #41 of the 74 countries we track. Compared with its own history since 2017, that is below its usual level (10 out of 100).
Armed-conflict intensity5.0%of its news, last 7 days
Rank#41of 74 countries
Vs its own history10below its usual level
Share of the world’s war news0.55%weighed by severity
South Africa · weekly average since 2017 (highest: 29 June 2025)
The tensest weeks for South Africa since 2017share of its news about armed violence, 7 days
| Week ending | Intensity | Nearby event |
|---|---|---|
| 29 June 2025 | 18.0% | — |
| 27 December 2025 | 13.6% | — |
| 13 July 2022 | 11.8% | — |
| 29 September 2026 | 11.0% | — |
| 29 January 2025 | 10.9% | — |
Year by year
| Year | Average intensity | Highest week | Typical rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5.7% | 11.0% | #43 |
| 2025 | 6.1% | 18.0% | #42 |
| 2024 | 5.8% | 8.7% | #43 |
| 2023 | 6.3% | 9.8% | #35 |
| 2022 | 6.9% | 11.8% | #30 |
| 2021 | 6.5% | 9.7% | #31 |
| 2020 | 5.8% | 8.8% | #34 |
| 2019 | 6.3% | 10.2% | #30 |
| 2018 | 6.1% | 8.4% | #33 |
| 2017 | 6.2% | 10.3% | #36 |
Compare South Africa
Elsewhere in Africa
All countriesFrequently asked questions
How tense is South Africa right now?
5.0% of the news located in South Africa over the last 7 days was about armed violence (war and terrorism), which ranks it #41 of the 74 countries Riftrate tracks.
Is South Africa more tense than usual?
Compared with its own history since 2017, South Africa is below its usual level: it has been calmer on 10% of days.
When was South Africa most tense since 2017?
The highest reading was 18.0%, in the 7 days to 29 June 2025.
Which countries in Africa are the most tense right now?
Ethiopia (19.9%), Somalia (16.8%), Sudan (14.5%).
Where does this data come from?
From the GDELT Project, which codes events reported in the world’s news in more than 100 languages and locates them. Riftrate measures the share of each country’s news about armed violence, excluding ordinary crime and policing. It measures the news, not casualties.
How it is measured: GDELT locates every event reported in the news. We take all the coverage of events located in the country over 7 days and measure the part about armed violence: war and terrorism, excluding ordinary crime and policing. It does not depend on the size of the country or on how many newspapers cover it. It measures the news, not the number of victims. Methodology