What is free and fair elections in South Korea?

Free and fair elections in South Korea was 1 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest free and fair elections recorded in South Korea?

The highest recorded value was 1 in 1985.

What is the lowest free and fair elections recorded in South Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1948.

How does South Korea rank for free and fair elections?

South Korea ranks 1st out of 172 countries with data for 2025.

Is free and fair elections 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 Free and fair elections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Free and fair elections in South Korea

Name: Free and fair elections in South Korea
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Korea: Free and fair elections was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 172 countries

All-time high

in 1985

All-time low

in 1948

Years of data

1948–2025

Free and fair elections in South Korea, 1948–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, free and fair elections in South Korea stood at 1. That is the highest value across all 78 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, free and fair elections in South Korea peaked at 1 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1948.

That places South Korea 1st out of 172 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Free and fair elections in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Free and fair elections in South Korea, 1948 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1948	0	—
1949	0	—
1950	0	—
1951	0	—
1952	0	—
1953	0	—
1954	0	—
1955	0	—
1956	0	—
1957	0	—
1958	0	—
1959	0	—
1960	0	—
1961	0	—
1962	0	—
1963	0	—
1964	0	—
1965	0	—
1966	0	—
1967	0	—
1968	0	—
1969	0	—
1970	0	—
1971	0	—
1972	0	—
1973	0	—
1974	0	—
1975	0	—
1976	0	—
1977	0	—
1978	0	—
1979	0	—
1980	0	—
1981	0	—
1982	0	—
1983	0	—
1984	0	—
1985	1	—
1986	1	+0.0%
1987	1	+0.0%
1988	1	+0.0%
1989	1	+0.0%
1990	1	+0.0%
1991	1	+0.0%
1992	1	+0.0%
1993	1	+0.0%
1994	1	+0.0%
1995	1	+0.0%
1996	1	+0.0%
1997	1	+0.0%
1998	1	+0.0%
1999	1	+0.0%
2000	1	+0.0%
2001	1	+0.0%
2002	1	+0.0%
2003	1	+0.0%
2004	1	+0.0%
2005	1	+0.0%
2006	1	+0.0%
2007	1	+0.0%
2008	1	+0.0%
2009	1	+0.0%
2010	1	+0.0%
2011	1	+0.0%
2012	1	+0.0%
2013	1	+0.0%
2014	1	+0.0%
2015	1	+0.0%
2016	1	+0.0%
2017	1	+0.0%
2018	1	+0.0%
2019	1	+0.0%
2020	1	+0.0%
2021	1	+0.0%
2022	1	+0.0%
2023	1	+0.0%
2024	1	+0.0%
2025	1	+0.0%

South Korea compared with similar countries

South Korea's 1 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
South Korea's 1 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1940s	0	0	0	2
1950s	0	0	0	10
1960s	0	0	0	10
1970s	0	0	0	10
1980s	0.5	0	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

See the full ranking of 172 places →

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)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is free and fair elections in South Korea?: Free and fair elections in South Korea was 1 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest free and fair elections recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 1 in 1985.
What is the lowest free and fair elections recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1948.
How does South Korea rank for free and fair elections?: South Korea ranks 1st out of 172 countries with data for 2025.
Is free and fair elections 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 Free and fair elections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Free and fair elections in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/free-and-fair-elections-row/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator: Free and fair elections
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 172 places, 17,000 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Central estimate of whether national elections were free and fair or not.