Which has higher liberal democracy index, Japan or South Korea?

South Korea, at 0.739 against 0.734 in Japan as of 2025.

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

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 Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Japan vs South Korea: Liberal Democracy Index

Japan

0.734

in 2025

South Korea

0.739

in 2025

Japan rank

24th

South Korea rank

22nd

Liberal Democracy Index over time

Japan
South Korea

How they compare

South Korea currently reports 0.739 against 0.734 in Japan, a difference of 0.005.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Japan ahead.

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

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 25 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Japan	South Korea	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.019	0.016	0.003	Japan
1790s	0.016	0.016	0	—
1800s	0.016	0.0151	0.0009	Japan
1810s	0.016	0.015	0.001	Japan
1820s	0.016	0.015	0.001	Japan
1830s	0.016	0.015	0.001	Japan
1840s	0.016	0.0149	0.0011	Japan
1850s	0.0178	0.014	0.0038	Japan
1860s	0.0211	0.0152	0.0059	Japan
1870s	0.0937	0.0154	0.0783	Japan
1880s	0.1092	0.0163	0.0929	Japan
1890s	0.1796	0.0243	0.1553	Japan
1900s	0.1965	0.0325	0.164	Japan
1910s	0.2015	0.021	0.1805	Japan
1920s	0.21	0.021	0.189	Japan
1930s	0.2044	0.0207	0.1837	Japan
1940s	0.2457	0.05	0.1957	Japan
1950s	0.637	0.1455	0.4915	Japan
1960s	0.7499	0.1367	0.6132	Japan
1970s	0.7505	0.1065	0.644	Japan
1980s	0.7521	0.2043	0.5478	Japan
1990s	0.7567	0.6064	0.1503	Japan
2000s	0.7674	0.7399	0.0275	Japan
2010s	0.7542	0.6778	0.0764	Japan
2020s	0.7387	0.7102	0.0285	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, Japan or South Korea?: South Korea, at 0.739 against 0.734 in Japan as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Japan and South Korea?: 0.005, with South Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for liberal democracy index?: Japan ranks 24th and South Korea ranks 22nd of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Liberal Democracy Index
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: 07 August 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.