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Key features of liberal democracy in South Korea

South Korea: Key features of liberal democracy was 0.739 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.739
Change on year
up 17.9%
World rank
22nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.794
in 2018
All-time low
0.014
in 1849
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Key features of liberal democracy in South Korea, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.8178919072025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, key features of liberal democracy in South Korea stood at 0.739.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.9% on the previous year and up 23.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, key features of liberal democracy in South Korea peaked at 0.794 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.014, in 1849.

That places South Korea 22nd 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.016 0.016 0.016 1
1790s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1800s 0.0151 0.015 0.016 10
1810s 0.015 0.015 0.015 10
1820s 0.015 0.015 0.015 10
1830s 0.015 0.015 0.015 10
1840s 0.0149 0.014 0.015 10
1850s 0.014 0.014 0.014 10
1860s 0.0152 0.014 0.016 10
1870s 0.0154 0.015 0.016 10
1880s 0.0163 0.015 0.017 10
1890s 0.0243 0.017 0.034 10
1900s 0.0325 0.032 0.033 10
1910s 0.021 0.021 0.021 10
1920s 0.021 0.021 0.021 10
1930s 0.0207 0.019 0.021 10
1940s 0.05 0.017 0.154 10
1950s 0.1455 0.142 0.148 10
1960s 0.1367 0.103 0.223 10
1970s 0.1065 0.098 0.135 10
1980s 0.2043 0.103 0.498 10
1990s 0.6064 0.5 0.736 10
2000s 0.7399 0.661 0.762 10
2010s 0.6778 0.599 0.794 10
2020s 0.7102 0.62 0.782 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 19 Austria 0.757 compare
  2. 20 Latvia 0.751 compare
  3. 21 Spain 0.741 compare
  4. 23 Canada 0.736 compare
  5. 24 Japan 0.734 compare
  6. 25 Iceland 0.72 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is key features of liberal democracy in South Korea?
Key features of liberal democracy in South Korea was 0.739 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest key features of liberal democracy recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 0.794 in 2018.
What is the lowest key features of liberal democracy recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.014 in 1849.
How does South Korea rank for key features of liberal democracy?
South Korea ranks 22nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is key features of liberal democracy rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Key features of liberal democracy. 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

Indicator
Key features of liberal democracy
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 28,671 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed