Media Corruption Score in North Korea
North Korea: Media Corruption Score was -3 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Media Corruption Score in North Korea, 1945–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
North Korea recorded -3 for media corruption score in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 81 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, media corruption score in North Korea peaked at -1.04 in 1945 and was at its lowest, -3, in 1948.
That places North Korea 175th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 81 years of available data.
Media Corruption Score in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | -1.04 | — |
| 1946 | -1.04 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -1.04 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -3 | +189.4% |
| 1949 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | -3 | -0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's -3 is below the median for low income countries, which is -0.059, 50.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's -3 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.819. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | -1.82 | -3 | -1.04 | 5 |
| 1950s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 1960s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 1970s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 1980s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 1990s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 2000s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 2010s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 2020s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More social development data for North Korea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 263 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 263 (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -7.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Human Rights Index vs. Electoral Democracy Index 0.024 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is media corruption score in North Korea?
- Media corruption score in North Korea was -3 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest media corruption score recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was -1.04 in 1945.
- What is the lowest media corruption score recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -3 in 1948.
- How does North Korea rank for media corruption score?
- North Korea ranks 175th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is media corruption score rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Media Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 81 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Gauges the frequency with which journalists, publishers, or broadcasters accept payments to modify news content, indicating the integrity (or corruption) of the media sphere.