South Korea vs Tonga: Free country

South Korea
2
in 2025
Tonga
2
in 2025
South Korea rank
1st
Tonga rank
1st

Free country over time

  • South Korea
  • Tonga
00.511.52197219982025

How they compare

South Korea currently reports 2 against 2 in Tonga, a difference of 0.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 53 shared years of data; in 1972 it was Tonga ahead.

South Korea ranks 1st and Tonga ranks 1st of 198 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 4 and Tonga in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Korea Tonga Difference Ahead
1970s 0.875 1 0.125 Tonga
1980s 1.22 1 0.2222 South Korea
1990s 2 1 1 South Korea
2000s 2 1 1 South Korea
2010s 2 1.8 0.2 South Korea
2020s 2 2 0

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher free country, South Korea or Tonga?
South Korea, at 2 against 2 in Tonga as of 2025.
What is the difference in free country between South Korea and Tonga?
0, with South Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Tonga?
53 years are reported by both, from 1972 to 2025.
How do South Korea and Tonga rank globally for free country?
South Korea ranks 1st and Tonga ranks 1st of 198 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Free country. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Free country
Source
Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 10,083 data points, 1972–2025
Last refreshed

The variable identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between free countries (score 2), partly free countries (score 1), and not free countries (score 0).