Which has higher key features of liberal democracy, South Korea or Latvia?

Latvia, at 0.751 against 0.739 in South Korea as of 2025.

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

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 Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

South Korea vs Latvia: Key features of liberal democracy

South Korea

0.739

in 2025

Latvia

0.751

in 2025

South Korea rank

22nd

Latvia rank

20th

Key features of liberal democracy over time

South Korea
Latvia

How they compare

Latvia currently reports 0.751 against 0.739 in South Korea, a difference of 0.012.

The two have swapped places 11 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was South Korea ahead.

South Korea ranks 22nd and Latvia ranks 20th of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 11 and Latvia in 13.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Korea	Latvia	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.016	0.014	0.002	South Korea
1790s	0.016	0.014	0.002	South Korea
1800s	0.0151	0.0149	0.0002	South Korea
1810s	0.015	0.015	0	—
1820s	0.015	0.0142	0.0008	South Korea
1830s	0.015	0.0147	0.0003	South Korea
1840s	0.0149	0.0152	0.0003	Latvia
1850s	0.014	0.0215	0.0075	Latvia
1860s	0.0152	0.0637	0.0485	Latvia
1870s	0.0154	0.0866	0.0712	Latvia
1880s	0.0163	0.0411	0.0248	Latvia
1890s	0.0243	0.0433	0.019	Latvia
1900s	0.0325	0.0499	0.0174	Latvia
1910s	0.021	0.0618	0.0408	Latvia
1920s	0.021	0.5081	0.4871	Latvia
1930s	0.0207	0.3371	0.3164	Latvia
1940s	0.05	0.0144	0.0356	South Korea
1950s	0.1455	0.0196	0.1259	South Korea
1960s	0.1367	0.0232	0.1135	South Korea
1970s	0.1065	0.0247	0.0818	South Korea
1980s	0.2043	0.0352	0.1691	South Korea
1990s	0.6064	0.6252	0.0188	Latvia
2000s	0.7399	0.7016	0.0383	South Korea
2010s	0.6778	0.7378	0.06	Latvia
2020s	0.7102	0.7482	0.038	Latvia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher key features of liberal democracy, South Korea or Latvia?: Latvia, at 0.751 against 0.739 in South Korea as of 2025.
What is the difference in key features of liberal democracy between South Korea and Latvia?: 0.012, with Latvia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Latvia?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do South Korea and Latvia rank globally for key features of liberal democracy?: South Korea ranks 22nd and Latvia ranks 20th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Korea vs Latvia: Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 October 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/key-features-of-liberal-democracy/korea-rep/latvia/

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About this data

Indicator: Key features of liberal democracy
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 28,671 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.