Liberal democracy in South Korea
South Korea: Liberal democracy was 3 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Liberal democracy in South Korea, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, liberal democracy in South Korea stood at 3. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.
The figure is up 50.0% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy in South Korea peaked at 3 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
That places South Korea 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
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 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.83 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 1 Australia 3 compare
- 1 Austria 3 compare
- 1 Barbados 3 compare
- 1 Belgium 3 compare
- 1 Chile 3 compare
- 1 Costa Rica 3 compare
- 1 Cyprus 3 compare
- 1 Czechia 3 compare
- 1 Denmark 3 compare
- 1 Estonia 3 compare
- 1 Finland 3 compare
- 1 France 3 compare
- 1 Germany 3 compare
- 1 Iceland 3 compare
- 1 Italy 3 compare
- 1 Japan 3 compare
- 1 Latvia 3 compare
- 1 Lithuania 3 compare
- 1 Netherlands 3 compare
- 1 New Zealand 3 compare
- 1 Norway 3 compare
- 1 Seychelles 3 compare
- 1 Spain 3 compare
- 1 Sweden 3 compare
- 1 Switzerland 3 compare
- 1 Taiwan 3 compare
- 1 Trinidad and Tobago 3 compare
- 1 Uruguay 3 compare
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)
- Varieties of democracy 0.819 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.739 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.912 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.912 (2025)
- Key features of electoral democracy 0.819 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is liberal democracy in South Korea?
- Liberal democracy in South Korea was 3 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3 in 1993.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does South Korea rank for liberal democracy?
- South Korea ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal 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 V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part 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
Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.