South Korea vs Spain: Liberal democracy
South Korea
3
in 2025
Spain
3
in 2025
South Korea rank
1st
Spain rank
1st
Liberal democracy over time
- South Korea
- Spain
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 3 against 3 in Spain, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Spain ahead.
South Korea ranks 1st and Spain ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 4 and Spain in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1820s | 0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | Spain |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | Spain |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | Spain |
| 1940s | 0.2 | 0 | 0.2 | South Korea |
| 1950s | 1 | 0 | 1 | South Korea |
| 1960s | 0.9 | 0 | 0.9 | South Korea |
| 1970s | 1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | South Korea |
| 1980s | 1.2 | 2.7 | 1.5 | Spain |
| 1990s | 2.7 | 3 | 0.3 | Spain |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 2.83 | 3 | 0.1667 | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy, South Korea or Spain?
- South Korea, at 3 against 3 in Spain as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy between South Korea and Spain?
- 0, with South Korea 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?
- South Korea ranks 1st and Spain 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.