Japan vs South Korea: Media Corruption Score
Japan
2.13
in 2025
South Korea
2.34
in 2025
Japan rank
23rd
South Korea rank
22nd
Media Corruption Score over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 2.34 against 2.13 in Japan, a difference of 0.21.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 23rd and South Korea ranks 22nd of 175 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.349 | -1.81 | 2.16 | Japan |
| 1910s | 0.349 | -1.81 | 2.16 | Japan |
| 1920s | 0.349 | -1.81 | 2.16 | Japan |
| 1930s | 0.3022 | -1.81 | 2.11 | Japan |
| 1940s | -0.0285 | -0.6434 | 0.6149 | Japan |
| 1950s | 2.09 | 0.85 | 1.24 | Japan |
| 1960s | 2.71 | 0.85 | 1.86 | Japan |
| 1970s | 2.71 | 0.85 | 1.86 | Japan |
| 1980s | 2.71 | 1.03 | 1.68 | Japan |
| 1990s | 2.71 | 1.84 | 0.8743 | Japan |
| 2000s | 2.71 | 2.01 | 0.7032 | Japan |
| 2010s | 2.71 | 1.88 | 0.828 | Japan |
| 2020s | 2.52 | 1.78 | 0.7365 | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher media corruption score, Japan or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 2.34 against 2.13 in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in media corruption score between Japan and South Korea?
- 0.21, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for media corruption score?
- Japan ranks 23rd and South Korea ranks 22nd of 175 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Media Corruption Score. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Gauges the frequency with which journalists, publishers, or broadcasters accept payments to modify news content, indicating the integrity (or corruption) of the media sphere.