Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in South Korea
South Korea: Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in South Korea, 1996–2025
Source: World Bank. Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 for government effectiveness - governance estimate in 2025.
That represents a change of up 7.3% on the previous year and up 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government effectiveness - governance estimate in South Korea peaked at 1.59 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.3114 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 1998.
South Korea ranks 19th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.7431 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | — |
| 1998 | 0.3114 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -58.1% |
| 2000 | 0.6186 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +98.6% |
| 2002 | 1.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +64.6% |
| 2003 | 0.9734 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 0.8917 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -8.4% |
| 2005 | 1.03 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +15.3% |
| 2006 | 0.9456 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -8.0% |
| 2007 | 1.13 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +19.8% |
| 2008 | 0.9669 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -14.7% |
| 2009 | 1.04 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 1.27 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +22.2% |
| 2011 | 1.32 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 1.34 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 1.23 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 1.2 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 1.18 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 1.2 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 1.37 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +14.9% |
| 2019 | 1.54 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +12.4% |
| 2020 | 1.54 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 1.59 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 1.47 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -7.7% |
| 2023 | 1.49 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -5.7% |
| 2025 | 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +7.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.05 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.4× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1855 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 8.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +98.6% | 0.3114 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.6186 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5272 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.3114 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.7431 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.9573 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.6186 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.13 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.18 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.54 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.59 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 government effectiveness - governance estimate in South Korea?
- Government effectiveness - governance estimate in South Korea was 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to the World Bank.
- What is the highest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.59 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2021.
- What is the lowest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3114 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1998.
- How does South Korea rank for government effectiveness - governance estimate?
- South Korea ranks 19th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is government effectiveness - governance estimate rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. 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 Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).