Judicial Corruption Score in South Korea
South Korea: Judicial Corruption Score was 1.61 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Judicial Corruption Score in South Korea, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, judicial corruption score in South Korea stood at 1.61.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, judicial corruption score in South Korea peaked at 1.82 in 2019 and was at its lowest, -0.024, in 1789.
That places South Korea 33rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 1 |
| 1790s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1800s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1810s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1820s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1830s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1840s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1850s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1860s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1870s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1880s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1890s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1900s | -0.024 | -0.024 | -0.024 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.089 | 0.089 | 0.089 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.089 | 0.089 | 0.089 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.089 | 0.089 | 0.089 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2982 | 0.089 | 0.612 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.494 | 0.494 | 0.494 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.623 | 0.623 | 0.623 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.623 | 0.623 | 0.623 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7625 | 0.623 | 1.09 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.09 | 1.09 | 1.09 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.54 | 1.09 | 1.65 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.39 | 1.35 | 1.82 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.52 | 0.838 | 1.82 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More social development data for South Korea
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 4,407 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 117 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.819 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.933 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.839 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.819 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.551 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.739 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is judicial corruption score in South Korea?
- Judicial corruption score in South Korea was 1.61 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest judicial corruption score recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.82 in 2019.
- What is the lowest judicial corruption score recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.024 in 1789.
- How does South Korea rank for judicial corruption score?
- South Korea ranks 33rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is judicial corruption score rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Judicial Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of how often individuals or businesses make undocumented extra payments or bribes to obtain a favorable judicial decision, or speed up or delay the process. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.