Which has higher liberal political institutions index, South Korea or Spain?

South Korea, at 0.912 against 0.909 in Spain as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Spain?

237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal Political Institutions Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

South Korea vs Spain: Liberal Political Institutions Index

South Korea

0.912

in 2025

Spain

0.909

in 2025

South Korea rank

18th

Spain rank

19th

Liberal Political Institutions Index over time

South Korea
Spain

How they compare

South Korea currently reports 0.912 against 0.909 in Spain, a difference of 0.003.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Spain ahead.

South Korea ranks 18th and Spain ranks 19th of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 2 and Spain in 23.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Korea	Spain	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.063	0.276	0.213	Spain
1790s	0.063	0.276	0.213	Spain
1800s	0.0592	0.2744	0.2152	Spain
1810s	0.059	0.3555	0.2965	Spain
1820s	0.059	0.3858	0.3268	Spain
1830s	0.059	0.4177	0.3587	Spain
1840s	0.0587	0.4565	0.3978	Spain
1850s	0.056	0.4626	0.4066	Spain
1860s	0.0584	0.466	0.4076	Spain
1870s	0.0596	0.505	0.4454	Spain
1880s	0.0634	0.505	0.4416	Spain
1890s	0.0929	0.516	0.4231	Spain
1900s	0.128	0.5162	0.3882	Spain
1910s	0.082	0.517	0.435	Spain
1920s	0.0827	0.3824	0.2997	Spain
1930s	0.0816	0.5425	0.4609	Spain
1940s	0.1619	0.1992	0.0373	Spain
1950s	0.3762	0.2212	0.155	South Korea
1960s	0.3469	0.241	0.1059	South Korea
1970s	0.2771	0.4258	0.1487	Spain
1980s	0.4118	0.9074	0.4956	Spain
1990s	0.833	0.9181	0.0851	Spain
2000s	0.9125	0.9244	0.0119	Spain
2010s	0.8873	0.9087	0.0214	Spain
2020s	0.9007	0.9072	0.0065	Spain

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal political institutions index, South Korea or Spain?: South Korea, at 0.912 against 0.909 in Spain as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal political institutions index between South Korea and Spain?: 0.003, with South Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Spain?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do South Korea and Spain rank globally for liberal political institutions index?: South Korea ranks 18th and Spain ranks 19th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal Political Institutions Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Liberal Political Institutions Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,207 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent of individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.