Which has higher varieties of democracy, Iceland or South Korea?

South Korea, at 0.819 against 0.807 in Iceland as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and South Korea?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.

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.

Iceland vs South Korea: Varieties of democracy

Iceland

0.807

in 2025

South Korea

0.819

in 2025

Iceland rank

26th

South Korea rank

24th

Varieties of democracy over time

Iceland
South Korea

How they compare

South Korea currently reports 0.819 against 0.807 in Iceland, a difference of 0.012.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Iceland ahead.

Iceland ranks 26th and South Korea ranks 24th of 176 countries.

Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iceland	South Korea	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.4663	0.0214	0.4449	Iceland
1910s	0.6412	0.0123	0.6289	Iceland
1920s	0.7719	0.014	0.7579	Iceland
1930s	0.7793	0.014	0.7653	Iceland
1940s	0.7847	0.0708	0.7139	Iceland
1950s	0.8049	0.2568	0.5481	Iceland
1960s	0.8138	0.2536	0.5602	Iceland
1970s	0.8254	0.2246	0.6008	Iceland
1980s	0.8507	0.3359	0.5148	Iceland
1990s	0.8645	0.7225	0.142	Iceland
2000s	0.8703	0.8184	0.0519	Iceland
2010s	0.8667	0.7672	0.0995	Iceland
2020s	0.8362	0.7948	0.0413	Iceland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Iceland or South Korea?: South Korea, at 0.819 against 0.807 in Iceland as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Iceland and South Korea?: 0.012, with South Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and South Korea?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Iceland and South Korea rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Iceland ranks 26th 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

Indicator: Varieties of democracy
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.