Democracy Index in South Korea
South Korea: Democracy Index was 8 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Democracy Index in South Korea, 1948–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy index in South Korea is 8, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 71 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in South Korea peaked at 8 in 1960 and was at its lowest, -9, in 1972.
That places South Korea 52nd out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy Index in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | -3 | — |
| 1949 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -4 | +33.3% |
| 1953 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | 8 | -300.0% |
| 1961 | -7 | -187.5% |
| 1962 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 3 | -142.9% |
| 1964 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | -9 | -400.0% |
| 1973 | -8 | -11.1% |
| 1974 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -5 | -37.5% |
| 1982 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 1 | -120.0% |
| 1988 | 6 | +500.0% |
| 1989 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 8 | +33.3% |
| 1999 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8 | +0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 8 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10, 80% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 8 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.5, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 2 |
| 1950s | -3.8 | -4 | -3 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.5 | -7 | 8 | 10 |
| 1970s | -5.9 | -9 | 3 | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.5 | -8 | 6 | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| 2000s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 52 Belgium 8 compare
- 52 Botswana 8 compare
- 52 Brazil 8 compare
- 52 East Timor 8 compare
- 52 El Salvador 8 compare
- 52 Ghana 8 compare
- 52 Guatemala 8 compare
- 52 Kyrgyzstan 8 compare
- 52 Latvia 8 compare
- 52 Lesotho 8 compare
- 52 Mexico 8 compare
- 52 Myanmar 8 compare
- 52 Philippines 8 compare
- 52 Serbia 8 compare
- 52 Solomon Islands 8 compare
- 52 United Kingdom 8 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 democracy index in South Korea?
- Democracy index in South Korea was 8 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 8 in 1960.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -9 in 1972.
- How does South Korea rank for democracy index?
- South Korea ranks 52nd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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); 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).