Statizoid

Democratic change in South Korea

South Korea: Democratic change was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
23rd
of 175 countries
All-time high
2
in 1945
All-time low
0
in 1961
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Democratic change in South Korea, 1900–2025

00.511.52190019622025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for democratic change in South Korea is 1, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democratic change in South Korea peaked at 2 in 1945 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1961.

South Korea ranks 23rd of 175 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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 1.9 1 2 10
1990s 2 2 2 10
2000s 0.9 0 2 10
2010s 0.6 0 2 10
2020s 0.3333 0 1 6

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See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is democratic change in South Korea?
Democratic change in South Korea was 1 in 2025, according to Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democratic change recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 2 in 1945.
What is the lowest democratic change recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1961.
How does South Korea rank for democratic change?
South Korea ranks 23rd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
Is democratic change 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 Democratic change. 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
Democratic change
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

Data by Episodes of Regime Transformation and V-Dem.