Civil Liberties Score in South Korea
South Korea: Civil Liberties Score was 50 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Civil Liberties Score in South Korea, 2003–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, civil liberties score in South Korea stood at 50.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties score in South Korea peaked at 51 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 49, in 2003.
That places South Korea 56th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Civil Liberties Score in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 49 | — |
| 2004 | 49 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 49 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 51 | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 50 | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 49 | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 50 | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 51 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 50 | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 50 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 49 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | 50 | +2.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 50 is below the median for high income countries, which is 53, 94% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 50 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 43, 1.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 49.71 | 49 | 51 | 7 |
| 2010s | 50 | 49 | 51 | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.83 | 49 | 50 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9281 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2074 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties score in South Korea?
- Civil liberties score in South Korea was 50 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 51 in 2006.
- What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 49 in 2003.
- How does South Korea rank for civil liberties score?
- South Korea ranks 56th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties score rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Liberties Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The variable identifies the fine-grained extent of freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Higher scores indicate more liberties.