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Centralization of Political Power Index in North Korea

North Korea: Centralization of Political Power Index was 0.988 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.988
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.988
in 1992
All-time low
0.916
in 1898
Years of data
203
1789–2025

Centralization of Political Power Index in North Korea, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, centralization of political power index in North Korea stood at 0.988. That is the highest value across all 203 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, centralization of political power index in North Korea peaked at 0.988 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 0.916, in 1898.

North Korea ranks 3rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 203 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.95 0.95 0.95 1
1790s 0.9428 0.941 0.95 10
1800s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1810s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1820s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1830s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1840s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1850s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1860s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1870s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1880s 0.941 0.941 0.941 10
1890s 0.9324 0.916 0.941 10
1900s 0.922 0.922 0.922 10
1910s 0.938 0.938 0.938 1
1940s 0.9504 0.923 0.968 5
1950s 0.9628 0.961 0.967 10
1960s 0.977 0.977 0.977 10
1970s 0.9833 0.977 0.986 10
1980s 0.986 0.986 0.986 10
1990s 0.9876 0.986 0.988 10
2000s 0.988 0.988 0.988 10
2010s 0.988 0.988 0.988 10
2020s 0.988 0.988 0.988 6

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 1 Malta 0.176 compare
  2. 1 Nicaragua 0.992 compare
  3. 2 Belarus 0.99 compare
  4. 2 Luxembourg 0.09 compare
  5. 3 Ireland 0.039 compare
  6. 4 Myanmar 0.982 compare
  7. 5 Equatorial Guinea 0.977 compare
  8. 5 Eritrea 0.977 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is centralization of political power index in North Korea?
Centralization of political power index in North Korea was 0.988 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest centralization of political power index recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 0.988 in 1992.
What is the lowest centralization of political power index recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.916 in 1898.
How does North Korea rank for centralization of political power index?
North Korea ranks 3rd out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is centralization of political power index rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this North Korea data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Centralization of Political Power Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 203 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Centralization of Political Power Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,802 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which the executive is unconstrained by the legislature, judiciary, electoral management body, and other oversight.