Age of full democracy in South Korea
South Korea: Age of full democracy was 29 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in South Korea, 1997–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of full democracy in South Korea is 29 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 52.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in South Korea peaked at 29 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1997.
That places South Korea 62nd out of 89 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 full democracy in South Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1 years | — |
| 1998 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1999 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2000 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2001 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2003 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2004 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2005 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2007 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2008 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2009 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2011 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2012 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2014 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2025 | 29 years | +3.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 29 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 51% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 29 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 47 years, 62% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1999 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 2000 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
| 2000s | 8.5 years | 4 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.5 years | 14 years | 23 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.5 years | 24 years | 29 years | 6 |
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 full democracy in South Korea?
- Age of full democracy in South Korea was 29 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 29 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1997.
- How does South Korea rank for age of full democracy?
- South Korea ranks 62nd out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.6%. 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 full democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a full democracy.