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

Spain, at 0.741 against 0.739 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 Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

South Korea vs Spain: Liberal Democracy Index

South Korea

0.739

in 2025

Spain

0.741

in 2025

South Korea rank

22nd

Spain rank

21st

Liberal Democracy Index over time

South Korea
Spain

How they compare

Spain currently reports 0.741 against 0.739 in South Korea, a difference of 0.002.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Spain ahead.

South Korea ranks 22nd and Spain ranks 21st of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 2 and Spain in 23.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Korea	Spain	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.016	0.07	0.054	Spain
1790s	0.016	0.07	0.054	Spain
1800s	0.0151	0.0704	0.0553	Spain
1810s	0.015	0.0948	0.0798	Spain
1820s	0.015	0.109	0.094	Spain
1830s	0.015	0.1165	0.1015	Spain
1840s	0.0149	0.1339	0.119	Spain
1850s	0.014	0.1343	0.1203	Spain
1860s	0.0152	0.1401	0.1249	Spain
1870s	0.0154	0.1687	0.1533	Spain
1880s	0.0163	0.1525	0.1362	Spain
1890s	0.0243	0.1636	0.1393	Spain
1900s	0.0325	0.1638	0.1313	Spain
1910s	0.021	0.1624	0.1414	Spain
1920s	0.021	0.1093	0.0883	Spain
1930s	0.0207	0.2732	0.2525	Spain
1940s	0.05	0.055	0.005	Spain
1950s	0.1455	0.061	0.0845	South Korea
1960s	0.1367	0.0673	0.0694	South Korea
1970s	0.1065	0.228	0.1215	Spain
1980s	0.2043	0.8014	0.5971	Spain
1990s	0.6064	0.8167	0.2103	Spain
2000s	0.7399	0.8126	0.0727	Spain
2010s	0.6778	0.7859	0.1081	Spain
2020s	0.7102	0.7643	0.0542	Spain

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, South Korea or Spain?: Spain, at 0.741 against 0.739 in South Korea as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between South Korea and Spain?: 0.002, 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 liberal democracy index?: South Korea ranks 22nd and Spain ranks 21st 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.