Freedom in South Korea
Where South Korea sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. South Korea has a figure for 56 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.933 | 2025 | 13 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.839 | 2025 | 56 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.912 | 2025 | 26 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.952 | 2025 | 27 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.817 | 2025 | 33 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.850 | 2025 | 32 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 1.867 | 2025 | 28 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 1.989 | 2025 | 22 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 1.049 | 2025 | 49 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 72 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 88.1 | 2023 | 53 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 74 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 1.000 | 2025 | 24 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 1.000 | 2025 | 29 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 50.0 | 2025 | 37 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 33.0 | 2025 | 49 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 86.4% | 2025 | 53 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 13.3% | 2024 | 23 of 83 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | 28.3% | 2023 | 45 of 79 |
| Foreign investment inflows | 0.8% | 2025 | 63 of 87 |
| Regulatory quality | 70.9 | 2024 | 27 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $55.7K | 2025 | 20 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 1.0% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 2.1% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 2.7% | 2025 | 26 of 163 |
| Government debt | 47.8% | 2024 | — |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 97.9% | 2024 | 10 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 47.8 | 2024 | 2 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 172.5 | 2024 | 11 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.819 | 2025 | 25 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.739 | 2025 | 22 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.917 | 2025 | 28 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.872 | 2025 | 33 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.942 | 2025 | 12 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.156 | 2025 | 31 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.804 | 2025 | 47 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.878 | 2025 | 34 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 71.0 | 2024 | 34 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 65.1 | 2024 | 31 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 80.2 | 2024 | 16 of 169 |
| Political stability | 76.8 | 2024 | 29 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.937 | 2023 | 17 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 83.6 | 2024 | 7 of 170 |
| Secondary school enrolment | 96.3% | 2024 | 38 of 85 |
| Health spending | 8.6% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 31.8% | 2023 | 93 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 4.0 | 2023 | 18 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 20.3% | 2025 | 105 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 56.8% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 0.75 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 81.2% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 0.3 | 2024 | 11 of 168 |
| Population | 51.7M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 11.36 | 2024 | 152 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 3.6% | 2021 | 149 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 | 44 of 169 |
What is missing
4 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for South Korea in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for South Korea, not a zero. Who publishes what