What is clientelism index in South Korea?

Clientelism index in South Korea was 0.123 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest clientelism index recorded in South Korea?

The highest recorded value was 0.919 in 1909.

What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in South Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 0.094 in 2019.

How does South Korea rank for clientelism index?

South Korea ranks 150th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is clientelism index rising or falling in South Korea?

Over the last ten years it is down 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this South Korea data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Clientelism Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Clientelism Index in South Korea

Name: Clientelism Index in South Korea
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Korea: Clientelism Index was 0.123 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)

0.123

Change on year

up 1.7%

World rank

150th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.919

in 1909

All-time low

0.094

in 2019

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Clientelism Index in South Korea, 1789–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, clientelism index in South Korea stood at 0.123.

The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 15.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, clientelism index in South Korea peaked at 0.919 in 1909 and was at its lowest, 0.094, in 2019.

South Korea ranks 150th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 237 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.915	0.915	0.915	1
1790s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1800s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1810s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1820s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1830s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1840s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1850s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1860s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1870s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1880s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1890s	0.915	0.915	0.915	10
1900s	0.9119	0.908	0.919	10
1910s	0.9073	0.902	0.908	10
1920s	0.907	0.907	0.907	10
1930s	0.907	0.907	0.907	10
1940s	0.8119	0.695	0.907	10
1950s	0.7977	0.777	0.813	10
1960s	0.7203	0.707	0.755	10
1970s	0.6636	0.65	0.705	10
1980s	0.5888	0.422	0.654	10
1990s	0.3881	0.373	0.409	10
2000s	0.2598	0.224	0.33	10
2010s	0.1579	0.094	0.254	10
2020s	0.1218	0.119	0.125	6

Countries ranked near South Korea

147 Latvia 0.131 compare
147 Lithuania 0.131 compare
149 Costa Rica 0.129 compare
151 Belarus 0.118 compare
152 Austria 0.105 compare
152 United States 0.105 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

Spring temperature anomalies 1.1 °C (2026)
Summer temperature anomalies 0.7164 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month -0.8996 °C (2026)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 2.24 °C (2025)
Winter temperature anomalies 0.9115 °C (2025)
Consumer price index 135 2010 = 100 (2025)
Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is clientelism index in South Korea?: Clientelism index in South Korea was 0.123 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest clientelism index recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 0.919 in 1909.
What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 0.094 in 2019.
How does South Korea rank for clientelism index?: South Korea ranks 150th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is clientelism index rising or falling in South Korea?: Over the last ten years it is down 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Korea data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Clientelism Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Clientelism Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 24,366 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Composite index measuring the extent to which politics hinge on clientelistic exchanges of targeted goods, jobs, or cash for electoral support; higher values denote more pervasive clientelism.