What is liberal democracy index in South Korea?

Liberal democracy index in South Korea was 0.739 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in South Korea?

The highest recorded value was 0.794 in 2018.

What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in South Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 0.014 in 1849.

How does South Korea rank for liberal democracy index?

South Korea ranks 22nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is liberal democracy index 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 V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Liberal Democracy Index in South Korea

Name: Liberal Democracy Index in South Korea
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Korea: Liberal Democracy Index 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

Liberal Democracy Index in South Korea, 1789–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for liberal democracy index in South Korea is 0.739, measured in 2025.

The figure is up 17.9% on the previous year and up 23.4% over ten years.

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

South Korea ranks 22nd of 176 countries on this measure, 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	0.016	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

19 Austria 0.757 compare
20 Latvia 0.751 compare
21 Spain 0.741 compare
23 Canada 0.736 compare
24 Japan 0.734 compare
25 Iceland 0.72 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

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)
Liberal democracy 3 (2025)
Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.912 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.551 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.912 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.819 (2025)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy index in South Korea?: Liberal democracy index in South Korea was 0.739 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 0.794 in 2018.
What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 0.014 in 1849.
How does South Korea rank for liberal democracy index?: South Korea ranks 22nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal democracy index 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 V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Liberal Democracy Index. 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: Liberal Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 28,671 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.