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Centralization of Political Power Index in South Korea

South Korea: Centralization of Political Power Index was 0.086 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.086
Change on year
down 39.9%
World rank
147th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.95
in 1789
All-time low
0.054
in 2017
Years of data
237
1789–2025

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

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

South Korea recorded 0.086 for centralization of political power index in 2025.

The figure is down 39.9% on the previous year and down 55.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, centralization of political power index in South Korea peaked at 0.95 in 1789 and was at its lowest, 0.054, in 2017.

That places South Korea 147th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 237 years of available data.

Centralization of Political Power Index in South Korea, year by year

Year Value Change
1789 0.95 —
1790 0.95 +0.0%
1791 0.95 +0.0%
1792 0.941 -0.9%
1793 0.941 +0.0%
1794 0.941 +0.0%
1795 0.941 +0.0%
1796 0.941 +0.0%
1797 0.941 +0.0%
1798 0.941 +0.0%
1799 0.941 +0.0%
1800 0.941 +0.0%
1801 0.941 +0.0%
1802 0.941 +0.0%
1803 0.941 +0.0%
1804 0.941 +0.0%
1805 0.941 +0.0%
1806 0.941 +0.0%
1807 0.941 +0.0%
1808 0.941 +0.0%
1809 0.941 +0.0%
1810 0.941 +0.0%
1811 0.941 +0.0%
1812 0.941 +0.0%
1813 0.941 +0.0%
1814 0.941 +0.0%
1815 0.941 +0.0%
1816 0.941 +0.0%
1817 0.941 +0.0%
1818 0.941 +0.0%
1819 0.941 +0.0%
1820 0.941 +0.0%
1821 0.941 +0.0%
1822 0.941 +0.0%
1823 0.941 +0.0%
1824 0.941 +0.0%
1825 0.941 +0.0%
1826 0.941 +0.0%
1827 0.941 +0.0%
1828 0.941 +0.0%
1829 0.941 +0.0%
1830 0.941 +0.0%
1831 0.941 +0.0%
1832 0.941 +0.0%
1833 0.941 +0.0%
1834 0.941 +0.0%
1835 0.941 +0.0%
1836 0.941 +0.0%
1837 0.941 +0.0%
1838 0.941 +0.0%
1839 0.941 +0.0%
1840 0.941 +0.0%
1841 0.941 +0.0%
1842 0.941 +0.0%
1843 0.941 +0.0%
1844 0.941 +0.0%
1845 0.941 +0.0%
1846 0.941 +0.0%
1847 0.941 +0.0%
1848 0.941 +0.0%
1849 0.941 +0.0%
1850 0.941 +0.0%
1851 0.941 +0.0%
1852 0.941 +0.0%
1853 0.941 +0.0%
1854 0.941 +0.0%
1855 0.941 +0.0%
1856 0.941 +0.0%
1857 0.941 +0.0%
1858 0.941 +0.0%
1859 0.941 +0.0%
1860 0.941 +0.0%
1861 0.941 +0.0%
1862 0.941 +0.0%
1863 0.941 +0.0%
1864 0.941 +0.0%
1865 0.941 +0.0%
1866 0.941 +0.0%
1867 0.941 +0.0%
1868 0.941 +0.0%
1869 0.941 +0.0%
1870 0.941 +0.0%
1871 0.941 +0.0%
1872 0.941 +0.0%
1873 0.941 +0.0%
1874 0.941 +0.0%
1875 0.941 +0.0%
1876 0.941 +0.0%
1877 0.941 +0.0%
1878 0.941 +0.0%
1879 0.941 +0.0%
1880 0.941 +0.0%
1881 0.941 +0.0%
1882 0.941 +0.0%
1883 0.941 +0.0%
1884 0.941 +0.0%
1885 0.941 +0.0%
1886 0.941 +0.0%
1887 0.941 +0.0%
1888 0.941 +0.0%
1889 0.941 +0.0%
1890 0.941 +0.0%
1891 0.941 +0.0%
1892 0.941 +0.0%
1893 0.941 +0.0%
1894 0.941 +0.0%
1895 0.929 -1.3%
1896 0.929 +0.0%
1897 0.929 +0.0%
1898 0.916 -1.4%
1899 0.916 +0.0%
1900 0.922 +0.7%
1901 0.922 +0.0%
1902 0.922 +0.0%
1903 0.922 +0.0%
1904 0.922 +0.0%
1905 0.922 +0.0%
1906 0.922 +0.0%
1907 0.922 +0.0%
1908 0.922 +0.0%
1909 0.922 +0.0%
1910 0.938 +1.7%
1911 0.938 +0.0%
1912 0.938 +0.0%
1913 0.938 +0.0%
1914 0.938 +0.0%
1915 0.938 +0.0%
1916 0.938 +0.0%
1917 0.938 +0.0%
1918 0.938 +0.0%
1919 0.938 +0.0%
1920 0.938 +0.0%
1921 0.928 -1.1%
1922 0.928 +0.0%
1923 0.928 +0.0%
1924 0.928 +0.0%
1925 0.928 +0.0%
1926 0.928 +0.0%
1927 0.928 +0.0%
1928 0.928 +0.0%
1929 0.928 +0.0%
1930 0.928 +0.0%
1931 0.928 +0.0%
1932 0.928 +0.0%
1933 0.928 +0.0%
1934 0.928 +0.0%
1935 0.928 +0.0%
1936 0.928 +0.0%
1937 0.928 +0.0%
1938 0.928 +0.0%
1939 0.928 +0.0%
1940 0.928 +0.0%
1941 0.928 +0.0%
1942 0.928 +0.0%
1943 0.928 +0.0%
1944 0.928 +0.0%
1945 0.93 +0.2%
1946 0.892 -4.1%
1947 0.892 +0.0%
1948 0.768 -13.9%
1949 0.631 -17.8%
1950 0.621 -1.6%
1951 0.621 +0.0%
1952 0.621 +0.0%
1953 0.621 +0.0%
1954 0.695 +11.9%
1955 0.695 +0.0%
1956 0.695 +0.0%
1957 0.695 +0.0%
1958 0.718 +3.3%
1959 0.718 +0.0%
1960 0.51 -29.0%
1961 0.743 +45.7%
1962 0.776 +4.4%
1963 0.755 -2.7%
1964 0.734 -2.8%
1965 0.734 +0.0%
1966 0.734 +0.0%
1967 0.734 +0.0%
1968 0.734 +0.0%
1969 0.734 +0.0%
1970 0.734 +0.0%
1971 0.734 +0.0%
1972 0.829 +12.9%
1973 0.876 +5.7%
1974 0.876 +0.0%
1975 0.876 +0.0%
1976 0.876 +0.0%
1977 0.876 +0.0%
1978 0.876 +0.0%
1979 0.876 +0.0%
1980 0.791 -9.7%
1981 0.813 +2.8%
1982 0.783 -3.7%
1983 0.783 +0.0%
1984 0.783 +0.0%
1985 0.783 +0.0%
1986 0.782 -0.1%
1987 0.581 -25.7%
1988 0.216 -62.8%
1989 0.211 -2.3%
1990 0.211 +0.0%
1991 0.211 +0.0%
1992 0.205 -2.8%
1993 0.143 -30.2%
1994 0.143 +0.0%
1995 0.143 +0.0%
1996 0.143 +0.0%
1997 0.123 -14.0%
1998 0.082 -33.3%
1999 0.082 +0.0%
2000 0.082 +0.0%
2001 0.082 +0.0%
2002 0.077 -6.1%
2003 0.08 +3.9%
2004 0.08 +0.0%
2005 0.08 +0.0%
2006 0.08 +0.0%
2007 0.083 +3.8%
2008 0.145 +74.7%
2009 0.145 +0.0%
2010 0.145 +0.0%
2011 0.145 +0.0%
2012 0.155 +6.9%
2013 0.191 +23.2%
2014 0.191 +0.0%
2015 0.191 +0.0%
2016 0.177 -7.3%
2017 0.054 -69.5%
2018 0.07 +29.6%
2019 0.064 -8.6%
2020 0.069 +7.8%
2021 0.08 +15.9%
2022 0.1 +25.0%
2023 0.148 +48.0%
2024 0.143 -3.4%
2025 0.086 -39.9%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 0.086 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.09, 96% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 0.086 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.267, 32% of the median. (22 countries reporting)

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 10
1920s 0.929 0.928 0.938 10
1930s 0.928 0.928 0.928 10
1940s 0.8753 0.631 0.93 10
1950s 0.67 0.621 0.718 10
1960s 0.7188 0.51 0.776 10
1970s 0.8429 0.734 0.876 10
1980s 0.6526 0.211 0.813 10
1990s 0.1486 0.082 0.211 10
2000s 0.0934 0.077 0.145 10
2010s 0.1383 0.054 0.191 10
2020s 0.1043 0.069 0.148 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 144 Vanuatu 0.093 compare
  2. 145 Luxembourg 0.09 compare
  3. 146 Jamaica 0.087 compare
  4. 148 Canada 0.085 compare
  5. 149 South Africa 0.084 compare
  6. 150 Barbados 0.076 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 centralization of political power index in South Korea?
Centralization of political power index in South Korea was 0.086 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest centralization of political power index recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 0.95 in 1789.
What is the lowest centralization of political power index recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.054 in 2017.
How does South Korea rank for centralization of political power index?
South Korea ranks 147th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is centralization of political power index rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 55.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 Centralization of Political Power Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Centralization of Political Power Index in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-centralization-index/korea-rep/

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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.