South Korea vs Taiwan: Liberal democracy
South Korea
3
in 2025
Taiwan
3
in 2025
South Korea rank
1st
Taiwan rank
1st
Liberal democracy over time
- South Korea
- Taiwan
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 3 against 3 in Taiwan, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 232 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Taiwan ahead.
South Korea ranks 1st and Taiwan ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 6 and Taiwan in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Taiwan | 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 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 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 | 1 | South Korea |
| 1980s | 1.2 | 0 | 1.2 | South Korea |
| 1990s | 2.7 | 0.8 | 1.9 | South Korea |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 2.83 | 3 | 0.1667 | Taiwan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy, South Korea or Taiwan?
- South Korea, at 3 against 3 in Taiwan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy between South Korea and Taiwan?
- 0, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Taiwan?
- 232 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and Taiwan rank globally for liberal democracy?
- South Korea ranks 1st and Taiwan 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.