Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in South Korea
South Korea: Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) was 38 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in South Korea, 1960–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of electoral democracy in South Korea is 38 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 35.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in South Korea peaked at 38 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1960.
That places South Korea 59th out of 144 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) 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% |
| 2019 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 38 years | +2.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 38 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 67% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 38 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 45 years, 84% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) 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 |
| 1992 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 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 | 27.5 years | 23 years | 32 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.5 years | 33 years | 38 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 57 El Salvador 40 years compare
- 58 Philippines 39 years compare
- 60 Chile 37 years compare
- 60 Paraguay 37 years compare
- 60 Poland 37 years compare
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 electoral democracy in South Korea?
- Age of electoral democracy in South Korea was 38 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 38 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1960.
- How does South Korea rank for age of electoral democracy?
- South Korea ranks 59th out of 144 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.