South Korea vs New Zealand: Liberal democracy
South Korea
3
in 2025
New Zealand
3
in 2025
South Korea rank
1st
New Zealand rank
1st
Liberal democracy over time
- South Korea
- New Zealand
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 3 against 3 in New Zealand, a difference of 0.
Across all 165 years both countries report, New Zealand has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 1st and New Zealand ranks 1st of 176 countries.
New Zealand has averaged higher in every one of the 19 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1880s | 0 | 2 | 2 | New Zealand |
| 1890s | 0 | 2 | 2 | New Zealand |
| 1900s | 0 | 2 | 2 | New Zealand |
| 1910s | 0 | 2.7 | 2.7 | New Zealand |
| 1920s | 0 | 3 | 3 | New Zealand |
| 1930s | 0 | 3 | 3 | New Zealand |
| 1940s | 0.2 | 3 | 2.8 | New Zealand |
| 1950s | 1 | 3 | 2 | New Zealand |
| 1960s | 0.9 | 3 | 2.1 | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 1 | 3 | 2 | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 1.2 | 3 | 1.8 | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 2.7 | 3 | 0.3 | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 2.83 | 3 | 0.1667 | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy, South Korea or New Zealand?
- South Korea, at 3 against 3 in New Zealand as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy between South Korea and New Zealand?
- 0, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and New Zealand?
- 165 years are reported by both, from 1841 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and New Zealand rank globally for liberal democracy?
- South Korea ranks 1st and New Zealand ranks 1st of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.