Egalitarian Democracy Index in North Korea
North Korea: Egalitarian Democracy Index was 0.093 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.093
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
161st
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.118
in 1975
All-time low
0.033
in 1909
Years of data
92
1900–2025
Egalitarian Democracy Index in North Korea, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 0.093 for egalitarian democracy index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, egalitarian democracy index in North Korea peaked at 0.118 in 1975 and was at its lowest, 0.033, in 1909.
That places North Korea 161st out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 92 years of available data.
Egalitarian Democracy Index in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.034 | — |
| 1901 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.033 | -2.9% |
| 1910 | 0.035 | +6.1% |
| 1945 | 0.063 | +80.0% |
| 1946 | 0.079 | +25.4% |
| 1947 | 0.079 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.084 | +6.3% |
| 1949 | 0.087 | +3.6% |
| 1950 | 0.086 | -1.1% |
| 1951 | 0.086 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.086 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.09 | +4.7% |
| 1954 | 0.093 | +3.3% |
| 1955 | 0.093 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.102 | +9.7% |
| 1957 | 0.101 | -1.0% |
| 1958 | 0.102 | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.108 | +5.9% |
| 1961 | 0.108 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.108 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.106 | -1.9% |
| 1964 | 0.107 | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.102 | -4.7% |
| 1968 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.116 | +13.7% |
| 1970 | 0.115 | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 0.116 | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 0.117 | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 0.117 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.117 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.118 | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.117 | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 0.117 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.113 | -3.4% |
| 1981 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.11 | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 0.111 | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 0.11 | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 0.11 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.109 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 0.095 | -12.8% |
| 1996 | 0.084 | -11.6% |
| 1997 | 0.084 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.086 | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 0.085 | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 0.088 | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.091 | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 0.089 | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 0.09 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.088 | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.087 | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 0.091 | +4.6% |
| 2024 | 0.09 | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 0.093 | +3.3% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 0.093 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.157, 59% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 0.093 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.311, 30% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0339 | 0.033 | 0.034 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.035 | 0.035 | 0.035 | 1 |
| 1940s | 0.0784 | 0.063 | 0.087 | 5 |
| 1950s | 0.0941 | 0.086 | 0.102 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1071 | 0.102 | 0.116 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.117 | 0.115 | 0.118 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.113 | 0.113 | 0.113 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0984 | 0.084 | 0.111 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.088 | 0.088 | 0.088 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0886 | 0.088 | 0.091 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0895 | 0.087 | 0.093 | 6 |
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 egalitarian democracy index in North Korea?
- Egalitarian democracy index in North Korea was 0.093 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest egalitarian democracy index recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.118 in 1975.
- What is the lowest egalitarian democracy index recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.033 in 1909.
- How does North Korea rank for egalitarian democracy index?
- North Korea ranks 161st out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is egalitarian democracy index rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Egalitarian Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 92 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, as well as the extent to which the protection of rights, access to power, and distribution of resources is equal.