Germany vs South Korea: Varieties of democracy
Germany
0.828
in 2025
South Korea
0.819
in 2025
Germany rank
21st
South Korea rank
24th
Varieties of democracy over time
- Germany
- South Korea
How they compare
Germany currently reports 0.828 against 0.819 in South Korea, a difference of 0.009.
Across all 191 years both countries report, Germany has been ahead every year.
Germany ranks 21st and South Korea ranks 24th of 176 countries.
Germany has averaged higher in every one of the 21 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.026 | 0.015 | 0.011 | Germany |
| 1790s | 0.026 | 0.015 | 0.011 | Germany |
| 1800s | 0.026 | 0.015 | 0.011 | Germany |
| 1810s | 0.028 | 0.015 | 0.013 | Germany |
| 1820s | 0.03 | 0.015 | 0.015 | Germany |
| 1830s | 0.03 | 0.015 | 0.015 | Germany |
| 1840s | 0.0572 | 0.015 | 0.0422 | Germany |
| 1850s | 0.157 | 0.015 | 0.142 | Germany |
| 1860s | 0.1894 | 0.015 | 0.1744 | Germany |
| 1870s | 0.2287 | 0.015 | 0.2137 | Germany |
| 1880s | 0.2315 | 0.0168 | 0.2147 | Germany |
| 1890s | 0.2385 | 0.0249 | 0.2136 | Germany |
| 1900s | 0.2491 | 0.0214 | 0.2277 | Germany |
| 1910s | 0.2812 | 0.0123 | 0.2689 | Germany |
| 1920s | 0.6222 | 0.014 | 0.6082 | Germany |
| 1930s | 0.2421 | 0.014 | 0.2281 | Germany |
| 1940s | 0.0714 | 0.0132 | 0.0582 | Germany |
| 1990s | 0.8938 | 0.7309 | 0.1629 | Germany |
| 2000s | 0.899 | 0.8184 | 0.0806 | Germany |
| 2010s | 0.8893 | 0.7672 | 0.1221 | Germany |
| 2020s | 0.8493 | 0.7948 | 0.0545 | Germany |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher varieties of democracy, Germany or South Korea?
- Germany, at 0.828 against 0.819 in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Germany and South Korea?
- 0.009, with Germany ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and South Korea?
- 191 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Germany and South Korea rank globally for varieties of democracy?
- Germany ranks 21st and South Korea ranks 24th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Varieties of democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.