Statizoid

Full democracy in South Korea

South Korea: Full democracy was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
1
in 1997
All-time low
0
in 1948
Years of data
78
1948–2025

Full democracy in South Korea, 1948–2025

00.20.40.60.81194819862025

Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for full democracy in South Korea is 1, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 78 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, full democracy in South Korea peaked at 1 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1948.

South Korea ranks 1st of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 0 0 0 2
1950s 0 0 0 10
1960s 0 0 0 10
1970s 0 0 0 10
1980s 0 0 0 10
1990s 0.3 0 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

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  4. 1 Australia 1 compare
  5. 1 Austria 1 compare
  6. 1 Bahamas 1 compare
  7. 1 Barbados 1 compare
  8. 1 Belgium 1 compare
  9. 1 Belize 1 compare
  10. 1 Brazil 1 compare
  11. 1 Bulgaria 1 compare
  12. 1 Canada 1 compare
  13. 1 Cape Verde 1 compare
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  16. 1 Croatia 1 compare
  17. 1 Cyprus 1 compare
  18. 1 Czechia 1 compare
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  20. 1 Dominica 1 compare
  21. 1 Dominican Republic 1 compare
  22. 1 Estonia 1 compare
  23. 1 Fiji 1 compare
  24. 1 Finland 1 compare
  25. 1 France 1 compare
  26. 1 Germany 1 compare
  27. 1 Ghana 1 compare
  28. 1 Greece 1 compare
  29. 1 Grenada 1 compare
  30. 1 Guyana 1 compare
  31. 1 Iceland 1 compare
  32. 1 Italy 1 compare
  33. 1 Jamaica 1 compare
  34. 1 Japan 1 compare
  35. 1 Kiribati 1 compare
  36. 1 Latvia 1 compare
  37. 1 Lithuania 1 compare
  38. 1 Marshall Islands 1 compare
  39. 1 Mauritius 1 compare
  40. 1 Micronesia (country) 1 compare
  41. 1 Mongolia 1 compare
  42. 1 Namibia 1 compare
  43. 1 Nauru 1 compare
  44. 1 Netherlands 1 compare
  45. 1 New Zealand 1 compare
  46. 1 Norway 1 compare
  47. 1 Palau 1 compare
  48. 1 Panama 1 compare
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  50. 1 Poland 1 compare
  51. 1 Portugal 1 compare
  52. 1 Romania 1 compare
  53. 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 compare
  54. 1 Saint Lucia 1 compare
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  56. 1 Samoa 1 compare
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  60. 1 Slovenia 1 compare
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  63. 1 Suriname 1 compare
  64. 1 Sweden 1 compare
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See the full ranking of 198 places →

More social development data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is full democracy in South Korea?
Full democracy in South Korea was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest full democracy recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1997.
What is the lowest full democracy recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1948.
How does South Korea rank for full democracy?
South Korea ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is full democracy 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 Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Full democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 78 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Full democracy
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies if a country is a full democracy using the extended Lexical Index of Electoral Democracy (LIED+).