South Korea vs Sweden: Liberal democracy
South Korea
3
in 2025
Sweden
3
in 2025
South Korea rank
1st
Sweden rank
1st
Liberal democracy over time
- South Korea
- Sweden
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 3 against 3 in Sweden, a difference of 0.
Across all 237 years both countries report, Sweden has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 1st and Sweden ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 25 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | Sweden |
| 1920s | 0 | 2.6 | 2.6 | Sweden |
| 1930s | 0 | 3 | 3 | Sweden |
| 1940s | 0.2 | 3 | 2.8 | Sweden |
| 1950s | 1 | 3 | 2 | Sweden |
| 1960s | 0.9 | 3 | 2.1 | Sweden |
| 1970s | 1 | 3 | 2 | Sweden |
| 1980s | 1.2 | 3 | 1.8 | Sweden |
| 1990s | 2.7 | 3 | 0.3 | Sweden |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 2.83 | 3 | 0.1667 | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy, South Korea or Sweden?
- South Korea, at 3 against 3 in Sweden as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy between South Korea and Sweden?
- 0, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Sweden?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and Sweden rank globally for liberal democracy?
- South Korea ranks 1st and Sweden 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.