Statizoid

Democracy in South Korea

South Korea: Democracy was 4 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
17th
of 172 countries
All-time high
5
in 1988
All-time low
0
in 1961
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Democracy in South Korea, 1900–2025

012345190019622025

Source: Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for democracy in South Korea is 4, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in South Korea peaked at 5 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1961.

That places South Korea 17th out of 172 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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
1900s 1 1 1 10
1910s 1 1 1 10
1920s 1 1 1 10
1930s 1 1 1 10
1940s 1.5 1 2 10
1950s 1 1 1 10
1960s 1 0 2 10
1970s 1 1 1 10
1980s 2.5 1 5 10
1990s 5 5 5 10
2000s 3.9 3 5 10
2010s 3.6 3 5 10
2020s 3.33 3 4 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 17 Australia 4 compare
  2. 17 Austria 4 compare
  3. 17 Barbados 4 compare
  4. 17 Belgium 4 compare
  5. 17 Bhutan 4 compare
  6. 17 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 compare
  7. 17 Bulgaria 4 compare
  8. 17 Canada 4 compare
  9. 17 Cape Verde 4 compare
  10. 17 Chile 4 compare
  11. 17 Colombia 4 compare
  12. 17 Costa Rica 4 compare
  13. 17 Cyprus 4 compare
  14. 17 Czechia 4 compare
  15. 17 Denmark 4 compare
  16. 17 Ecuador 4 compare
  17. 17 Estonia 4 compare
  18. 17 Finland 4 compare
  19. 17 France 4 compare
  20. 17 Germany 4 compare
  21. 17 Ghana 4 compare
  22. 17 Iceland 4 compare
  23. 17 Israel 4 compare
  24. 17 Jamaica 4 compare
  25. 17 Japan 4 compare
  26. 17 Kenya 4 compare
  27. 17 Latvia 4 compare
  28. 17 Liberia 4 compare
  29. 17 Lithuania 4 compare
  30. 17 Malawi 4 compare
  31. 17 Namibia 4 compare
  32. 17 Netherlands 4 compare
  33. 17 New Zealand 4 compare
  34. 17 North Macedonia 4 compare
  35. 17 Norway 4 compare
  36. 17 Panama 4 compare
  37. 17 Paraguay 4 compare
  38. 17 Portugal 4 compare
  39. 17 Sao Tome and Principe 4 compare
  40. 17 South Africa 4 compare
  41. 17 Spain 4 compare
  42. 17 Suriname 4 compare
  43. 17 Sweden 4 compare
  44. 17 Switzerland 4 compare
  45. 17 Taiwan 4 compare
  46. 17 Trinidad and Tobago 4 compare
  47. 17 Uruguay 4 compare
  48. 17 Vanuatu 4 compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in South Korea?
Democracy in South Korea was 4 in 2025, according to Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 5 in 1988.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1961.
How does South Korea rank for democracy?
South Korea ranks 17th out of 172 countries with data for 2025.
Is democracy 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 Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Democracy
Source
Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
175 places, 19,128 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed

Political regime of a country using the classification by the Episodes of Regime Transformation-project. It distinguishes between hardening autocracies (score 0), stable autocracies (score 1), liberalizing autocracies (score 2), eroding democracies (score 3), stable democracies (score 4), and deepening democracies (score 5).