Statizoid

Elected Political Leaders Index in South Korea

South Korea: Elected Political Leaders Index was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 176 countries
All-time high
1
in 1948
All-time low
0
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Elected Political Leaders Index in South Korea, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, elected political leaders index in South Korea stood at 1. That is the highest value across all 237 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, elected political leaders index in South Korea peaked at 1 in 1948 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.

South Korea ranks 1st of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0 0 0 1
1790s 0 0 0 10
1800s 0 0 0 10
1810s 0 0 0 10
1820s 0 0 0 10
1830s 0 0 0 10
1840s 0 0 0 10
1850s 0 0 0 10
1860s 0 0 0 10
1870s 0 0 0 10
1880s 0 0 0 10
1890s 0 0 0 10
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0.2 0 1 10
1950s 1 1 1 10
1960s 0.9 0 1 10
1970s 0.8845 0.835 1 10
1980s 1 1 1 10
1990s 1 1 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

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  4. 1 Argentina 1 compare
  5. 1 Armenia 1 compare
  6. 1 Australia 1 compare
  7. 1 Austria 1 compare
  8. 1 Azerbaijan 1 compare
  9. 1 Barbados 1 compare
  10. 1 Belarus 1 compare
  11. 1 Belgium 1 compare
  12. 1 Benin 1 compare
  13. 1 Bhutan 1 compare
  14. 1 Bolivia 1 compare
  15. 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
  16. 1 Brazil 1 compare
  17. 1 Bulgaria 1 compare
  18. 1 Cambodia 1 compare
  19. 1 Cameroon 1 compare
  20. 1 Canada 1 compare
  21. 1 Cape Verde 1 compare
  22. 1 Central African Republic 1 compare
  23. 1 Chad 1 compare
  24. 1 Chile 1 compare
  25. 1 Congo 1 compare
  26. 1 Costa Rica 1 compare
  27. 1 Cote d'Ivoire 1 compare
  28. 1 Croatia 1 compare
  29. 1 Cuba 1 compare
  30. 1 Cyprus 1 compare
  31. 1 Czechia 1 compare
  32. 1 Democratic Republic of Congo 1 compare
  33. 1 Denmark 1 compare
  34. 1 Djibouti 1 compare
  35. 1 Dominican Republic 1 compare
  36. 1 East Timor 1 compare
  37. 1 Ecuador 1 compare
  38. 1 El Salvador 1 compare
  39. 1 Equatorial Guinea 1 compare
  40. 1 Estonia 1 compare
  41. 1 Ethiopia 1 compare
  42. 1 Fiji 1 compare
  43. 1 Finland 1 compare
  44. 1 France 1 compare
  45. 1 Gabon 1 compare
  46. 1 Georgia 1 compare
  47. 1 Germany 1 compare
  48. 1 Ghana 1 compare
  49. 1 Greece 1 compare
  50. 1 Guatemala 1 compare
  51. 1 Honduras 1 compare
  52. 1 Hungary 1 compare
  53. 1 Iceland 1 compare
  54. 1 Indonesia 1 compare
  55. 1 Israel 1 compare
  56. 1 Jamaica 1 compare
  57. 1 Japan 1 compare
  58. 1 Kazakhstan 1 compare
  59. 1 Kyrgyzstan 1 compare
  60. 1 Latvia 1 compare
  61. 1 Lebanon 1 compare
  62. 1 Lesotho 1 compare
  63. 1 Liberia 1 compare
  64. 1 Lithuania 1 compare
  65. 1 Malawi 1 compare
  66. 1 Malaysia 1 compare
  67. 1 Maldives 1 compare
  68. 1 Mauritania 1 compare
  69. 1 Mexico 1 compare
  70. 1 Moldova 1 compare
  71. 1 Mongolia 1 compare
  72. 1 Montenegro 1 compare
  73. 1 Mozambique 1 compare
  74. 1 Namibia 1 compare
  75. 1 Nepal 1 compare
  76. 1 Netherlands 1 compare
  77. 1 New Zealand 1 compare
  78. 1 Nicaragua 1 compare
  79. 1 Nigeria 1 compare
  80. 1 North Macedonia 1 compare
  81. 1 Norway 1 compare
  82. 1 Pakistan 1 compare
  83. 1 Panama 1 compare
  84. 1 Papua New Guinea 1 compare
  85. 1 Paraguay 1 compare
  86. 1 Peru 1 compare
  87. 1 Philippines 1 compare
  88. 1 Poland 1 compare
  89. 1 Portugal 1 compare
  90. 1 Romania 1 compare
  91. 1 Russia 1 compare
  92. 1 Sao Tome and Principe 1 compare
  93. 1 Senegal 1 compare
  94. 1 Serbia 1 compare
  95. 1 Seychelles 1 compare
  96. 1 Singapore 1 compare
  97. 1 Slovakia 1 compare
  98. 1 Slovenia 1 compare
  99. 1 Solomon Islands 1 compare
  100. 1 South Africa 1 compare
  101. 1 Spain 1 compare
  102. 1 Sri Lanka 1 compare
  103. 1 Suriname 1 compare
  104. 1 Sweden 1 compare
  105. 1 Switzerland 1 compare
  106. 1 Taiwan 1 compare
  107. 1 Tajikistan 1 compare
  108. 1 Thailand 1 compare
  109. 1 Togo 1 compare
  110. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 compare
  111. 1 Tunisia 1 compare
  112. 1 Turkey 1 compare
  113. 1 Turkmenistan 1 compare
  114. 1 Ukraine 1 compare
  115. 1 United Kingdom 1 compare
  116. 1 United States 1 compare
  117. 1 Uruguay 1 compare
  118. 1 Uzbekistan 1 compare
  119. 1 Vanuatu 1 compare
  120. 1 Venezuela 1 compare
  121. 1 Zimbabwe 1 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is elected political leaders index in South Korea?
Elected political leaders index in South Korea was 1 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest elected political leaders index recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1948.
What is the lowest elected political leaders index recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
How does South Korea rank for elected political leaders index?
South Korea ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is elected political leaders index rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Elected Political Leaders 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
Elected Political Leaders Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,113 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Measures the extent to which the legislature is chosen through broad elections, and the chief executive is elected directly or indirectly (appointed by a popularly elected legislature).