Public Sector Corruption Index in North Korea
North Korea: Public Sector Corruption Index was 0.808 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.808
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
31st
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.934
in 1994
All-time low
0.808
in 2012
Years of data
81
1945–2025
Public Sector Corruption Index in North Korea, 1945–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 0.808 for public sector corruption index 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, public sector corruption index in North Korea peaked at 0.934 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.808, in 2012.
That places North Korea 31st out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 81 years of available data.
Public Sector Corruption Index in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 0.836 | — |
| 1946 | 0.893 | +6.8% |
| 1947 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.882 | -1.2% |
| 1961 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.882 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.934 | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 0.93 | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 0.93 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.93 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.93 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.93 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.896 | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.904 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.904 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.904 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.904 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.904 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.808 | -10.6% |
| 2013 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.808 | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 0.808 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.808, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 0.808 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.489, 1.7× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.8816 | 0.836 | 0.893 | 5 |
| 1950s | 0.893 | 0.893 | 0.893 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.882 | 0.882 | 0.882 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.882 | 0.882 | 0.882 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.882 | 0.882 | 0.882 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9112 | 0.882 | 0.934 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8984 | 0.896 | 0.904 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8272 | 0.808 | 0.904 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.808 | 0.808 | 0.808 | 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 public sector corruption index in North Korea?
- Public sector corruption index in North Korea was 0.808 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest public sector corruption index recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.934 in 1994.
- What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.808 in 2012.
- How does North Korea rank for public sector corruption index?
- North Korea ranks 31st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is public sector corruption index 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 Public Sector Corruption Index. 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
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which public sector employees engage in bribery and theft. The index ranges from 0 to 1 (highly corrupt).