State Capacity Index in South Korea

South Korea: State Capacity Index was 1.96 in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
1.96
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
15th
of 166 countries
All-time high
2.13
in 2005
All-time low
0.6437
in 1961
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in South Korea, 1960–2015

0.511.52196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for state capacity index in South Korea is 1.96, measured in 2015.

The figure is down 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in South Korea peaked at 2.13 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.6437, in 1961.

South Korea ranks 15th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.

State Capacity Index in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in South Korea, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 0.7866
1961 0.6437 -18.2%
1962 0.6438 +0.0%
1963 0.8943 +38.9%
1964 0.7938 -11.2%
1965 0.7895 -0.5%
1966 0.7881 -0.2%
1967 0.871 +10.5%
1968 0.8464 -2.8%
1969 0.9868 +16.6%
1970 1.17 +18.7%
1971 1.44 +23.0%
1972 1.36 -5.2%
1973 1.22 -10.4%
1974 1.26 +3.4%
1975 1.24 -1.6%
1976 1.3 +4.7%
1977 1.31 +0.2%
1978 1.33 +1.9%
1979 1.35 +1.7%
1980 1.45 +7.1%
1981 1.46 +0.8%
1982 1.47 +0.8%
1983 1.46 -1.2%
1984 1.33 -8.3%
1985 1.34 +0.2%
1986 1.24 -7.4%
1987 1.42 +14.9%
1988 1.55 +9.1%
1989 1.6 +3.1%
1990 1.64 +2.6%
1991 1.64 +0.1%
1992 1.94 +18.3%
1993 2.04 +5.2%
1994 2.06 +0.6%
1995 2.08 +1.0%
1996 2.06 -0.6%
1997 1.91 -7.4%
1998 1.93 +0.9%
1999 1.91 -1.1%
2000 1.96 +2.8%
2001 1.95 -0.7%
2002 1.96 +0.6%
2003 2.05 +4.6%
2004 2.1 +2.7%
2005 2.13 +1.3%
2006 2.06 -3.3%
2007 2.09 +1.2%
2008 1.98 -5.1%
2009 1.96 -1.2%
2010 1.92 -2.0%
2011 1.94 +1.2%
2012 1.94 +0.2%
2013 1.95 +0.2%
2014 1.96 +0.7%
2015 1.96 +0.0%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 1.96 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.59, 1.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 1.96 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6617, 3.0× the median. (20 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where State Capacity Index in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1963 +38.9% 0.6438 0.8943

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.8044 0.6437 0.9868 10
1970s 1.3 1.17 1.44 10
1980s 1.43 1.24 1.6 10
1990s 1.92 1.64 2.08 10
2000s 2.02 1.95 2.13 10
2010s 1.95 1.92 1.96 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 12 Canada 2.1 compare
  2. 13 Ireland 2.01 compare
  3. 14 Spain 2 compare
  4. 16 United States 1.86 compare
  5. 17 United Kingdom 1.78 compare
  6. 18 Portugal 1.77 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in South Korea?
State capacity index in South Korea was 1.96 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 2.13 in 2005.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6437 in 1961.
How does South Korea rank for state capacity index?
South Korea ranks 15th out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.