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
Control of Corruption - Governance estimate in South Korea, 1996–2025
Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for control of corruption - governance estimate in South Korea is 0.9239 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of 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.
That places South Korea 40th out of 208 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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
| 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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 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 Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
- 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 Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), 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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About this data
Control of Corruption (CC) captures perceptions of the extent to which public power is used for private gain, including both petty and grand corruption, as well as capture of the state by elites and private interests. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.