Age of democracy in South Korea
South Korea: Age of democracy was 31 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in South Korea, 1960–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy in South Korea stood at 31 years. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 47.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in South Korea peaked at 31 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1960.
South Korea ranks 38th of 110 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of democracy in South Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1 years | — |
| 1988 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1990 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1991 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1992 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1993 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1994 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1995 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1996 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1997 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1998 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1999 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2000 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2001 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2002 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 31 years | +3.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 31 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 70% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 31 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20 years, 1.6× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1990 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1991 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1 years | 1 years | 1 years | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 7.5 years | 3 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.5 years | 13 years | 22 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 27 years | 23 years | 31 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More social development data for South Korea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,407 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 117 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 117 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of democracy in South Korea?
- Age of democracy in South Korea was 31 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 31 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1960.
- How does South Korea rank for age of democracy?
- South Korea ranks 38th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.