Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Korea
South Korea: Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations was 51.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Korea, 1984–2022
Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Korea stood at 51.7%.
The figure is up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Korea peaked at 61.2% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 42.0%, in 1998.
That places South Korea 19th out of 38 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 61.2% | 61.2% | 61.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 49.6% | 42.0% | 57.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 46.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 49.6% | 48.9% | 50.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 51.7% | 51.7% | 51.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
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)
- Key features of democracy 0.819 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.933 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.839 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.819 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.551 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.739 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Korea?
- Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in South Korea was 51.7% in 2022, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who trust churches and religious organizations recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 61.2% in 1984.
- What is the lowest share of people who trust churches and religious organizations recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.0% in 1998.
- How does South Korea rank for share of people who trust churches and religious organizations?
- South Korea ranks 19th out of 38 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of people who trust churches and religious organizations rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
% of respondents replying that they "trust completely" or "trust somewhat" when asked "I am going to name a number of organisations. For each one, could you tell me how much confidence you have in them: is it a great deal of confidence, quite a lot of confidence, not very much confidence or none at all?" in the organization "The Churches (mosque, temple, etc.)".