What is political centralization index in South Korea?

Political centralization index in South Korea was 0.086 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.

What is the highest political centralization index recorded in South Korea?

The highest recorded value was 0.95 in 1789.

What is the lowest political centralization index recorded in South Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 0.054 in 2017.

How does South Korea rank for political centralization index?

South Korea ranks 147th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is political centralization 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Political centralization index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Political centralization index in South Korea

Name: Political centralization index in South Korea
Creator: Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Korea: Political centralization 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

Political centralization index in South Korea, 1789–2025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 0.086 for political centralization index in 2025.

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

Over the whole period, political centralization 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.

Political centralization index in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Political centralization index in South Korea, 1789 to 2025.
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

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	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

144 Vanuatu 0.093 compare
145 Luxembourg 0.09 compare
146 Jamaica 0.087 compare
148 Canada 0.085 compare
149 South Africa 0.084 compare
150 Barbados 0.076 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 31.73 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 880.21 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 12,007 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (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 (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 6,875 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 2,038 (2050)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is political centralization index in South Korea?: Political centralization index in South Korea was 0.086 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest political centralization index recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 0.95 in 1789.
What is the lowest political centralization index recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 0.054 in 2017.
How does South Korea rank for political centralization index?: South Korea ranks 147th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is political centralization 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Political centralization index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Political centralization index in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-centralization-index/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator: Political centralization index
Source: Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,802 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 30 October 2026