Distribution of Democracy Index in South Korea
South Korea: Distribution of Democracy Index was 18 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Distribution of Democracy Index in South Korea, 1948–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 18 for distribution of democracy index 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, distribution of democracy index in South Korea peaked at 18 in 1960 and was at its lowest, 1, 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.
Distribution of Democracy Index in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 7 | — |
| 1949 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1953 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 18 | +200.0% |
| 1961 | 3 | -83.3% |
| 1962 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 13 | +333.3% |
| 1964 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1 | -92.3% |
| 1973 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1974 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 5 | +150.0% |
| 1982 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 11 | +120.0% |
| 1988 | 16 | +45.5% |
| 1989 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 18 | +12.5% |
| 1999 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 18 | +0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 18 is below the median for high income countries, which is 20, 90% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 18 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 17.5, 1.0× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| 1950s | 6.2 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 1960s | 11.5 | 3 | 18 | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.1 | 1 | 13 | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.5 | 2 | 16 | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.4 | 16 | 18 | 10 |
| 2000s | 18 | 18 | 18 | 10 |
| 2010s | 18 | 18 | 18 | 9 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 52 Belgium 18 compare
- 52 Botswana 18 compare
- 52 Brazil 18 compare
- 52 East Timor 18 compare
- 52 El Salvador 18 compare
- 52 Ghana 18 compare
- 52 Guatemala 18 compare
- 52 Kyrgyzstan 18 compare
- 52 Latvia 18 compare
- 52 Lesotho 18 compare
- 52 Mexico 18 compare
- 52 Myanmar 18 compare
- 52 Philippines 18 compare
- 52 Serbia 18 compare
- 52 Solomon Islands 18 compare
- 52 United Kingdom 18 compare
- 52 United States 18 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 distribution of democracy index in South Korea?
- Distribution of democracy index in South Korea was 18 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 18 in 1960.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1972.
- How does South Korea rank for distribution of democracy index?
- South Korea ranks 52nd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution 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 0 to 20 (fully democratic).