Freedom in East Asia
6 countries and territories, on every statistic this site carries. Each row shows the region’s best and worst on that measure and the median between them.
Countries in East Asia
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | South Korea 0.933 | North Korea 0.013 | 0.805 | 6 |
| Freedom of association | Japan 0.924 | North Korea 0.025 | 0.779 | 6 |
| Civil liberties | Taiwan 0.930 | North Korea 0.024 | 0.857 | 6 |
| Freedom from political violence | Taiwan 0.971 | North Korea 0.053 | 0.901 | 6 |
| Equal protection of rights | Japan 0.978 | North Korea 0.099 | 0.822 | 6 |
| Academic freedom | South Korea 0.850 | North Korea 0.036 | 0.716 | 6 |
| Media censorship effort | South Korea 1.867 | North Korea -2.775 | 1.217 | 6 |
| Harassment of journalists | South Korea 1.989 | North Korea -2.517 | 0.986 | 6 |
| Media self-censorship | South Korea 1.049 | North Korea -2.927 | 0.567 | 6 |
| Universal right to vote | Japan 1.000 | North Korea 0.000 | 1.000 | 6 |
| Legal rights for women | Mongolia 90.6 | China 78.1 | 83.4 | 4 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | China 1.000 | Mongolia 1.000 | 1.000 | 4 |
| Access to justice for women | Japan 1.000 | North Korea 0.000 | 0.500 | 6 |
| Access to justice for men | Japan 1.000 | North Korea 0.000 | 0.500 | 6 |
| Civil liberties score | Japan 56.0 | North Korea 3.0 | 49.0 | 6 |
| Political rights score | Japan 40.0 | China -2.0 | 34.5 | 6 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | Mongolia 130.7% | China 38.0% | 86.4% | 3 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | China 7.0% | Mongolia 16.9% | 13.3% | 3 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | South Korea 28.3% | South Korea 28.3% | 28.3% | 1 |
| Foreign investment inflows | Japan 1.0% | China 0.4% | 0.8% | 3 |
| Regulatory quality | Japan 75.8 | North Korea 25.3 | 53.7 | 5 |
| GDP per capita | South Korea $55.7K | Mongolia $17.8K | $36.7K | 4 |
| GDP growth | Mongolia 6.8% | South Korea 1.0% | 3.1% | 4 |
| Inflation | Mongolia 8.6% | China 0.1% | 2.6% | 4 |
| Unemployment | Japan 2.5% | Mongolia 5.2% | 3.5% | 5 |
| Government debt | South Korea 47.8% | Mongolia 43.3% | 45.6% | 2 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | South Korea 97.9% | Mongolia 85.1% | 88.8% | 4 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | South Korea 47.8 | Mongolia 15.8 | 47.2 | 3 |
| Mobile subscriptions | South Korea 172.5 | China 131.8 | 140.7 | 3 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | Japan 0.819 | China 0.072 | 0.668 | 6 |
| Liberal democracy | South Korea 0.739 | North Korea 0.014 | 0.564 | 6 |
| Rule of law | Japan 0.956 | North Korea 0.033 | 0.700 | 6 |
| Judicial checks on government | Japan 0.881 | North Korea 0.003 | 0.756 | 6 |
| Legislative checks on government | South Korea 0.942 | North Korea 0.087 | 0.870 | 6 |
| Political corruption | Japan 0.050 | Mongolia 0.693 | 0.384 | 6 |
| Civil society participation | Taiwan 0.929 | North Korea 0.028 | 0.680 | 6 |
| Women’s political empowerment | Taiwan 0.903 | North Korea 0.290 | 0.825 | 6 |
| Voice and accountability | Japan 76.4 | North Korea 22.1 | 59.1 | 5 |
| Control of corruption | Japan 75.3 | North Korea 16.3 | 49.7 | 5 |
| Government effectiveness | Japan 91.9 | North Korea 26.6 | 68.8 | 5 |
| Political stability | Japan 85.3 | China 63.3 | 73.1 | 5 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | South Korea 0.937 | Mongolia 0.747 | 0.861 | 4 |
| Life expectancy | Japan 84.0 | Mongolia 72.4 | 78.0 | 5 |
| Adult literacy | Mongolia 98.6% | Mongolia 98.6% | 98.6% | 1 |
| Secondary school enrolment | South Korea 96.3% | South Korea 96.3% | 96.3% | 1 |
| Government spending on education | China 3.9% | Mongolia 3.7% | 3.8% | 2 |
| Health spending | Japan 10.7% | China 5.9% | 7.3% | 4 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | Japan 12.2% | Mongolia 48.8% | 32.0% | 4 |
| Maternal mortality | Japan 3.0 | North Korea 67.0 | 16.0 | 5 |
| Women in parliament | China 26.5% | Japan 15.7% | 20.3% | 5 |
| Women in the workforce | North Korea 77.7% | Mongolia 51.5% | 56.8% | 5 |
| Fertility rate | Mongolia 2.50 | South Korea 0.75 | 1.15 | 5 |
| Urban population | Japan 92.3% | North Korea 64.2% | 71.1% | 5 |
| Refugees who left | Japan 0.0 | Mongolia 72.0 | 1.1 | 5 |
| Population | China 1.4B | Mongolia 3.6M | 51.7M | 5 |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Highest | Lowest | Median | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | North Korea 2.50 | South Korea 11.36 | 7.85 | 5 |
| Renewable energy use | China 15.2% | Mongolia 3.0% | 8.8% | 5 |
| Access to electricity | China 100.0% | North Korea 61.4% | 100.0% | 5 |
Overlapping regions
These groupings share countries with East Asia. A country can belong to several at once — Turkey is in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.