Which has higher electoral democracy index, South Korea or Spain?

Spain, at 0.822 against 0.819 in South Korea as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Spain?

237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Electoral Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

South Korea vs Spain: Electoral Democracy Index

South Korea

0.819

in 2025

Spain

0.822

in 2025

South Korea rank

24th

Spain rank

22nd

Electoral Democracy Index over time

South Korea
Spain

How they compare

Spain currently reports 0.822 against 0.819 in South Korea, a difference of 0.003.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Spain ahead.

South Korea ranks 24th and Spain ranks 22nd of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 3 and Spain in 22.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Korea	Spain	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.015	0.019	0.004	Spain
1790s	0.015	0.019	0.004	Spain
1800s	0.015	0.0278	0.0128	Spain
1810s	0.015	0.0603	0.0453	Spain
1820s	0.015	0.0912	0.0762	Spain
1830s	0.015	0.0898	0.0748	Spain
1840s	0.015	0.1313	0.1163	Spain
1850s	0.015	0.128	0.113	Spain
1860s	0.015	0.145	0.13	Spain
1870s	0.015	0.2047	0.1897	Spain
1880s	0.0168	0.1557	0.1389	Spain
1890s	0.0249	0.1823	0.1574	Spain
1900s	0.0214	0.1827	0.1613	Spain
1910s	0.0123	0.1794	0.1671	Spain
1920s	0.014	0.0994	0.0854	Spain
1930s	0.014	0.3925	0.3785	Spain
1940s	0.0708	0.0691	0.0017	South Korea
1950s	0.2568	0.0691	0.1877	South Korea
1960s	0.2536	0.0797	0.1739	South Korea
1970s	0.2246	0.2838	0.0592	Spain
1980s	0.3359	0.8845	0.5486	Spain
1990s	0.7225	0.8927	0.1702	Spain
2000s	0.8184	0.8837	0.0653	Spain
2010s	0.7672	0.868	0.1008	Spain
2020s	0.7948	0.8475	0.0527	Spain

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher electoral democracy index, South Korea or Spain?: Spain, at 0.822 against 0.819 in South Korea as of 2025.
What is the difference in electoral democracy index between South Korea and Spain?: 0.003, with Spain ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Spain?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do South Korea and Spain rank globally for electoral democracy index?: South Korea ranks 24th and Spain ranks 22nd of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Electoral Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Electoral Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.