Control of Corruption - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in South Korea

South Korea: Control of Corruption - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was 0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Change on year
up 5.6%
World rank
40th
of 208 countries
All-time high
0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2025
All-time low
0.2841 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2002
Years of data
27
1996–2025

Control of Corruption - Governance estimate in South Korea, 1996–2025

0.20.40.60.811996201020251996: 0.626 approx. -2.5 to +2.51998: 0.43 approx. -2.5 to +2.52000: 0.31 approx. -2.5 to +2.52002: 0.284 approx. -2.5 to +2.52003: 0.416 approx. -2.5 to +2.52004: 0.38 approx. -2.5 to +2.52005: 0.582 approx. -2.5 to +2.52006: 0.385 approx. -2.5 to +2.52007: 0.511 approx. -2.5 to +2.52008: 0.416 approx. -2.5 to +2.52009: 0.439 approx. -2.5 to +2.52010: 0.427 approx. -2.5 to +2.52011: 0.586 approx. -2.5 to +2.52012: 0.529 approx. -2.5 to +2.52013: 0.588 approx. -2.5 to +2.52014: 0.509 approx. -2.5 to +2.52015: 0.347 approx. -2.5 to +2.52016: 0.355 approx. -2.5 to +2.52017: 0.43 approx. -2.5 to +2.52018: 0.543 approx. -2.5 to +2.52019: 0.615 approx. -2.5 to +2.52020: 0.759 approx. -2.5 to +2.52021: 0.764 approx. -2.5 to +2.52022: 0.823 approx. -2.5 to +2.52023: 0.903 approx. -2.5 to +2.52024: 0.875 approx. -2.5 to +2.52025: 0.924 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Source: World Bank. Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.

Analysis

In 2025, control of corruption - governance estimate in South Korea stood at 0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.6% on the previous year and up 166.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, control of corruption - governance estimate in South Korea peaked at 0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.2841 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2002.

South Korea ranks 40th of 208 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Control of Corruption - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Control of Corruption - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in South Korea, 1996 to 2025.
Year approx. -2.5 to +2.5 Change
1996 0.6258 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 —
1998 0.4296 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -31.3%
2000 0.3096 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -27.9%
2002 0.2841 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -8.2%
2003 0.4163 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +46.5%
2004 0.3796 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -8.8%
2005 0.5818 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +53.2%
2006 0.3853 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -33.8%
2007 0.5109 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +32.6%
2008 0.4163 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -18.5%
2009 0.4395 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +5.6%
2010 0.4271 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -2.8%
2011 0.5862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +37.3%
2012 0.529 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -9.8%
2013 0.588 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +11.1%
2014 0.5087 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -13.5%
2015 0.3469 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -31.8%
2016 0.3555 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +2.5%
2017 0.4302 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +21.0%
2018 0.5432 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +26.3%
2019 0.6152 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +13.3%
2020 0.7585 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +23.3%
2021 0.7641 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.7%
2022 0.8225 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +7.7%
2023 0.9035 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +9.8%
2024 0.8748 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -3.2%
2025 0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +5.6%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.9405 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 98% of the median. (76 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.3258 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 2.8× the median. (36 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.5277 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.4296 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.6258 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 2
2000s 0.4137 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.2841 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.5818 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 9
2010s 0.493 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.3469 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.6152 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 10
2020s 0.8412 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.7585 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 37 Lithuania 1.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  2. 38 Brunei 0.9929 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  3. 39 Israel 0.9572 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  4. 41 Cape Verde 0.9069 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  5. 42 Qatar 0.8809 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  6. 43 Aruba 0.869 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare

See the full ranking of 208 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is control of corruption - governance estimate in South Korea?
Control of corruption - governance estimate in South Korea was 0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest control of corruption - governance estimate recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025.
What is the lowest control of corruption - governance estimate recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2841 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2002.
How does South Korea rank for control of corruption - governance estimate?
South Korea ranks 40th out of 208 countries with data for 2025.
Is control of corruption - governance estimate rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 166.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Control of Corruption - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Control of Corruption - Governance estimate in South Korea. Statizoid. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/control-of-corruption-governance-estimate-approx-2-5-to-2-5-2/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Control of Corruption - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5)
Unit
approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
208 places, 5,432 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed