Democracy Index in North Korea
North Korea: Democracy Index was -10 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Democracy Index in North Korea, 1948–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
North Korea recorded -10 for democracy index in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 71 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in North Korea peaked at -7 in 1948 and was at its lowest, -10, in 1994.
North Korea ranks 165th of 168 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 71 years of available data.
Democracy Index in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | -7 | — |
| 1949 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -8 | +14.3% |
| 1957 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -9 | +12.5% |
| 1967 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -10 | +11.1% |
| 1995 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -10 | -0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's -10 is below the median for low income countries, which is 1. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's -10 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.5. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | -7 | -7 | -7 | 2 |
| 1950s | -7.4 | -8 | -7 | 10 |
| 1960s | -8.4 | -9 | -8 | 10 |
| 1970s | -9 | -9 | -9 | 10 |
| 1980s | -9 | -9 | -9 | 10 |
| 1990s | -9.6 | -10 | -9 | 10 |
| 2000s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 10 |
| 2010s | -10 | -10 | -10 | 9 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More social development data for North Korea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 263 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (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 263 (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -7.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Human Rights Index vs. Electoral Democracy Index 0.024 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in North Korea?
- Democracy index in North Korea was -10 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was -7 in 1948.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -10 in 1994.
- How does North Korea rank for democracy index?
- North Korea ranks 165th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 71 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).