Free and Fair Elections Index in South Korea
South Korea: Free and Fair Elections Index was 0.935 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.935
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
28th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.961
in 2018
All-time low
0
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025
Free and Fair Elections Index in South Korea, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 0.935 for free and fair elections index in 2025.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, free and fair elections index in South Korea peaked at 0.961 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
South Korea ranks 28th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Free and Fair Elections Index in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1789 | 0 | — |
| 1790 | 0 | — |
| 1791 | 0 | — |
| 1792 | 0 | — |
| 1793 | 0 | — |
| 1794 | 0 | — |
| 1795 | 0 | — |
| 1796 | 0 | — |
| 1797 | 0 | — |
| 1798 | 0 | — |
| 1799 | 0 | — |
| 1800 | 0 | — |
| 1801 | 0 | — |
| 1802 | 0 | — |
| 1803 | 0 | — |
| 1804 | 0 | — |
| 1805 | 0 | — |
| 1806 | 0 | — |
| 1807 | 0 | — |
| 1808 | 0 | — |
| 1809 | 0 | — |
| 1810 | 0 | — |
| 1811 | 0 | — |
| 1812 | 0 | — |
| 1813 | 0 | — |
| 1814 | 0 | — |
| 1815 | 0 | — |
| 1816 | 0 | — |
| 1817 | 0 | — |
| 1818 | 0 | — |
| 1819 | 0 | — |
| 1820 | 0 | — |
| 1821 | 0 | — |
| 1822 | 0 | — |
| 1823 | 0 | — |
| 1824 | 0 | — |
| 1825 | 0 | — |
| 1826 | 0 | — |
| 1827 | 0 | — |
| 1828 | 0 | — |
| 1829 | 0 | — |
| 1830 | 0 | — |
| 1831 | 0 | — |
| 1832 | 0 | — |
| 1833 | 0 | — |
| 1834 | 0 | — |
| 1835 | 0 | — |
| 1836 | 0 | — |
| 1837 | 0 | — |
| 1838 | 0 | — |
| 1839 | 0 | — |
| 1840 | 0 | — |
| 1841 | 0 | — |
| 1842 | 0 | — |
| 1843 | 0 | — |
| 1844 | 0 | — |
| 1845 | 0 | — |
| 1846 | 0 | — |
| 1847 | 0 | — |
| 1848 | 0 | — |
| 1849 | 0 | — |
| 1850 | 0 | — |
| 1851 | 0 | — |
| 1852 | 0 | — |
| 1853 | 0 | — |
| 1854 | 0 | — |
| 1855 | 0 | — |
| 1856 | 0 | — |
| 1857 | 0 | — |
| 1858 | 0 | — |
| 1859 | 0 | — |
| 1860 | 0 | — |
| 1861 | 0 | — |
| 1862 | 0 | — |
| 1863 | 0 | — |
| 1864 | 0 | — |
| 1865 | 0 | — |
| 1866 | 0 | — |
| 1867 | 0 | — |
| 1868 | 0 | — |
| 1869 | 0 | — |
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1871 | 0 | — |
| 1872 | 0 | — |
| 1873 | 0 | — |
| 1874 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1876 | 0 | — |
| 1877 | 0 | — |
| 1878 | 0 | — |
| 1879 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1881 | 0 | — |
| 1882 | 0 | — |
| 1883 | 0 | — |
| 1884 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1886 | 0 | — |
| 1887 | 0 | — |
| 1888 | 0 | — |
| 1889 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | — |
| 1891 | 0 | — |
| 1892 | 0 | — |
| 1893 | 0 | — |
| 1894 | 0 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | — |
| 1896 | 0 | — |
| 1897 | 0 | — |
| 1898 | 0 | — |
| 1899 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 0 | — |
| 1947 | 0 | — |
| 1948 | 0.121 | — |
| 1949 | 0.188 | +55.4% |
| 1950 | 0.168 | -10.6% |
| 1951 | 0.154 | -8.3% |
| 1952 | 0.157 | +1.9% |
| 1953 | 0.161 | +2.5% |
| 1954 | 0.164 | +1.9% |
| 1955 | 0.165 | +0.6% |
| 1956 | 0.159 | -3.6% |
| 1957 | 0.156 | -1.9% |
| 1958 | 0.148 | -5.1% |
| 1959 | 0.144 | -2.7% |
| 1960 | 0.167 | +16.0% |
| 1961 | 0.202 | +21.0% |
| 1962 | 0.202 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.218 | +7.9% |
| 1964 | 0.257 | +17.9% |
| 1965 | 0.257 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.257 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.257 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.258 | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.26 | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 0.202 | -22.3% |
| 1973 | 0.186 | -7.9% |
| 1974 | 0.22 | +18.3% |
| 1975 | 0.22 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.22 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.22 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.219 | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 0.211 | -3.7% |
| 1980 | 0.095 | -55.0% |
| 1981 | 0.188 | +97.9% |
| 1982 | 0.243 | +29.3% |
| 1983 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.389 | +60.1% |
| 1986 | 0.408 | +4.9% |
| 1987 | 0.476 | +16.7% |
| 1988 | 0.732 | +53.8% |
| 1989 | 0.748 | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 0.748 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.748 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.749 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 0.805 | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.805 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.822 | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 0.831 | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 0.914 | +10.0% |
| 1999 | 0.914 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.929 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 0.935 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.935 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.941 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 0.941 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.941 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.941 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.941 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.945 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.945 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.919 | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 0.894 | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 0.894 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.894 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.918 | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 0.953 | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 0.961 | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 0.961 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.956 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 0.954 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 0.946 | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 0.942 | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 0.932 | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 0.935 | +0.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.935 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.929, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.935 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5335, 1.8× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Free and Fair Elections Index in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +97.9% | 0.095 | 0.188 |
| 1985 | +60.1% | 0.243 | 0.389 |
| 1949 | +55.4% | 0.121 | 0.188 |
| 1980 | -55.0% | 0.211 | 0.095 |
| 1988 | +53.8% | 0.476 | 0.732 |
| 1982 | +29.3% | 0.188 | 0.243 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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 | 0.0309 | 0 | 0.188 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1576 | 0.144 | 0.168 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2333 | 0.167 | 0.258 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2216 | 0.186 | 0.26 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3765 | 0.095 | 0.748 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8141 | 0.748 | 0.914 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9394 | 0.929 | 0.945 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9284 | 0.894 | 0.961 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9442 | 0.932 | 0.956 | 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 free and fair elections index in South Korea?
- Free and fair elections index in South Korea was 0.935 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest free and fair elections index recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.961 in 2018.
- What is the lowest free and fair elections index recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does South Korea rank for free and fair elections index?
- South Korea ranks 28th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is free and fair elections index rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. 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 Free and Fair Elections 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
Central estimate of the extent to which registration fraud, systematic irregularities, government intimidation of the opposition, vote buying, and election violence are absent, and the election management body is autonomous and has enough staff and resources.