Statizoid

Liberal political institutions in South Korea

South Korea: Liberal political institutions was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 176 countries
All-time high
1
in 1993
All-time low
0
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Liberal political institutions in South Korea, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

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

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, liberal political institutions in South Korea peaked at 1 in 1993 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 0 0 10
1950s 0 0 0 10
1960s 0 0 0 10
1970s 0 0 0 10
1980s 0 0 0 10
1990s 0.7 0 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 1 Australia 1 compare
  2. 1 Austria 1 compare
  3. 1 Barbados 1 compare
  4. 1 Belgium 1 compare
  5. 1 Brazil 1 compare
  6. 1 Bulgaria 1 compare
  7. 1 Canada 1 compare
  8. 1 Cape Verde 1 compare
  9. 1 Chile 1 compare
  10. 1 Colombia 1 compare
  11. 1 Costa Rica 1 compare
  12. 1 Croatia 1 compare
  13. 1 Cyprus 1 compare
  14. 1 Czechia 1 compare
  15. 1 Denmark 1 compare
  16. 1 Estonia 1 compare
  17. 1 Finland 1 compare
  18. 1 France 1 compare
  19. 1 Gambia 1 compare
  20. 1 Germany 1 compare
  21. 1 Ghana 1 compare
  22. 1 Guatemala 1 compare
  23. 1 Iceland 1 compare
  24. 1 Israel 1 compare
  25. 1 Italy 1 compare
  26. 1 Jamaica 1 compare
  27. 1 Japan 1 compare
  28. 1 Latvia 1 compare
  29. 1 Lithuania 1 compare
  30. 1 Malawi 1 compare
  31. 1 Mauritius 1 compare
  32. 1 Namibia 1 compare
  33. 1 Netherlands 1 compare
  34. 1 New Zealand 1 compare
  35. 1 Norway 1 compare
  36. 1 Poland 1 compare
  37. 1 Portugal 1 compare
  38. 1 Sao Tome and Principe 1 compare
  39. 1 Seychelles 1 compare
  40. 1 Slovenia 1 compare
  41. 1 South Africa 1 compare
  42. 1 Spain 1 compare
  43. 1 Sweden 1 compare
  44. 1 Switzerland 1 compare
  45. 1 Taiwan 1 compare
  46. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 compare
  47. 1 United Kingdom 1 compare
  48. 1 Uruguay 1 compare
  49. 1 Vanuatu 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 liberal political institutions in South Korea?
Liberal political institutions in South Korea was 1 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal political institutions recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1993.
What is the lowest liberal political institutions recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
How does South Korea rank for liberal political institutions?
South Korea ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal political institutions 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 Liberal political institutions. 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
Liberal political institutions
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,207 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of whether the country has meaningfully liberal political institutions