What is women's political empowerment index in South Korea?

Women's political empowerment index in South Korea was 0.878 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest women's political empowerment index recorded in South Korea?

The highest recorded value was 0.88 in 2012.

What is the lowest women's political empowerment index recorded in South Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 0.042 in 1789.

How does South Korea rank for women's political empowerment index?

South Korea ranks 37th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is women's political empowerment index rising or falling in South Korea?

Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this South Korea data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Women's Political Empowerment Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Women's Political Empowerment Index in South Korea

Name: Women's Political Empowerment Index in South Korea
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Korea: Women's Political Empowerment Index was 0.878 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.878

Change on year

up 1.7%

World rank

37th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.88

in 2012

All-time low

0.042

in 1789

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Women's Political Empowerment Index in South Korea, 1789–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for women's political empowerment index in South Korea is 0.878, measured in 2025.

The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, women's political empowerment index in South Korea peaked at 0.88 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.042, in 1789.

South Korea ranks 37th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Women's Political Empowerment Index in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Women's Political Empowerment Index in South Korea, 1789 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1789	0.042	—
1790	0.042	+0.0%
1791	0.042	+0.0%
1792	0.042	+0.0%
1793	0.042	+0.0%
1794	0.042	+0.0%
1795	0.042	+0.0%
1796	0.042	+0.0%
1797	0.042	+0.0%
1798	0.042	+0.0%
1799	0.042	+0.0%
1800	0.042	+0.0%
1801	0.042	+0.0%
1802	0.042	+0.0%
1803	0.042	+0.0%
1804	0.042	+0.0%
1805	0.042	+0.0%
1806	0.042	+0.0%
1807	0.042	+0.0%
1808	0.042	+0.0%
1809	0.042	+0.0%
1810	0.042	+0.0%
1811	0.042	+0.0%
1812	0.042	+0.0%
1813	0.042	+0.0%
1814	0.042	+0.0%
1815	0.042	+0.0%
1816	0.042	+0.0%
1817	0.042	+0.0%
1818	0.042	+0.0%
1819	0.042	+0.0%
1820	0.042	+0.0%
1821	0.042	+0.0%
1822	0.042	+0.0%
1823	0.042	+0.0%
1824	0.042	+0.0%
1825	0.042	+0.0%
1826	0.042	+0.0%
1827	0.042	+0.0%
1828	0.042	+0.0%
1829	0.042	+0.0%
1830	0.042	+0.0%
1831	0.042	+0.0%
1832	0.042	+0.0%
1833	0.042	+0.0%
1834	0.042	+0.0%
1835	0.042	+0.0%
1836	0.042	+0.0%
1837	0.042	+0.0%
1838	0.042	+0.0%
1839	0.042	+0.0%
1840	0.042	+0.0%
1841	0.042	+0.0%
1842	0.042	+0.0%
1843	0.042	+0.0%
1844	0.042	+0.0%
1845	0.042	+0.0%
1846	0.042	+0.0%
1847	0.042	+0.0%
1848	0.042	+0.0%
1849	0.042	+0.0%
1850	0.042	+0.0%
1851	0.042	+0.0%
1852	0.042	+0.0%
1853	0.042	+0.0%
1854	0.042	+0.0%
1855	0.042	+0.0%
1856	0.042	+0.0%
1857	0.042	+0.0%
1858	0.042	+0.0%
1859	0.042	+0.0%
1860	0.042	+0.0%
1861	0.042	+0.0%
1862	0.042	+0.0%
1863	0.042	+0.0%
1864	0.042	+0.0%
1865	0.042	+0.0%
1866	0.042	+0.0%
1867	0.042	+0.0%
1868	0.042	+0.0%
1869	0.042	+0.0%
1870	0.042	+0.0%
1871	0.042	+0.0%
1872	0.042	+0.0%
1873	0.042	+0.0%
1874	0.042	+0.0%
1875	0.042	+0.0%
1876	0.042	+0.0%
1877	0.042	+0.0%
1878	0.042	+0.0%
1879	0.042	+0.0%
1880	0.042	+0.0%
1881	0.042	+0.0%
1882	0.042	+0.0%
1883	0.042	+0.0%
1884	0.042	+0.0%
1885	0.042	+0.0%
1886	0.042	+0.0%
1887	0.042	+0.0%
1888	0.042	+0.0%
1889	0.042	+0.0%
1890	0.042	+0.0%
1891	0.042	+0.0%
1892	0.042	+0.0%
1893	0.042	+0.0%
1894	0.063	+50.0%
1895	0.077	+22.2%
1896	0.076	-1.3%
1897	0.119	+56.6%
1898	0.119	+0.0%
1899	0.119	+0.0%
1900	0.117	-1.7%
1901	0.117	+0.0%
1902	0.117	+0.0%
1903	0.117	+0.0%
1904	0.116	-0.9%
1905	0.116	+0.0%
1906	0.116	+0.0%
1907	0.115	-0.9%
1908	0.115	+0.0%
1909	0.115	+0.0%
1910	0.128	+11.3%
1911	0.151	+18.0%
1912	0.151	+0.0%
1913	0.151	+0.0%
1914	0.151	+0.0%
1915	0.151	+0.0%
1916	0.151	+0.0%
1917	0.151	+0.0%
1918	0.151	+0.0%
1919	0.154	+2.0%
1920	0.154	+0.0%
1921	0.154	+0.0%
1922	0.154	+0.0%
1923	0.156	+1.3%
1924	0.156	+0.0%
1925	0.156	+0.0%
1926	0.156	+0.0%
1927	0.156	+0.0%
1928	0.156	+0.0%
1929	0.156	+0.0%
1930	0.156	+0.0%
1931	0.156	+0.0%
1932	0.156	+0.0%
1933	0.156	+0.0%
1934	0.156	+0.0%
1935	0.156	+0.0%
1936	0.156	+0.0%
1937	0.15	-3.8%
1938	0.141	-6.0%
1939	0.141	+0.0%
1940	0.141	+0.0%
1941	0.128	-9.2%
1942	0.128	+0.0%
1943	0.128	+0.0%
1944	0.128	+0.0%
1945	0.277	+116.4%
1946	0.415	+49.8%
1947	0.415	+0.0%
1948	0.414	-0.2%
1949	0.424	+2.4%
1950	0.412	-2.8%
1951	0.412	+0.0%
1952	0.412	+0.0%
1953	0.439	+6.6%
1954	0.451	+2.7%
1955	0.456	+1.1%
1956	0.456	+0.0%
1957	0.456	+0.0%
1958	0.474	+3.9%
1959	0.474	+0.0%
1960	0.49	+3.4%
1961	0.488	-0.4%
1962	0.473	-3.1%
1963	0.477	+0.8%
1964	0.477	+0.0%
1965	0.477	+0.0%
1966	0.477	+0.0%
1967	0.481	+0.8%
1968	0.481	+0.0%
1969	0.481	+0.0%
1970	0.483	+0.4%
1971	0.488	+1.0%
1972	0.485	-0.6%
1973	0.506	+4.3%
1974	0.506	+0.0%
1975	0.506	+0.0%
1976	0.506	+0.0%
1977	0.506	+0.0%
1978	0.493	-2.6%
1979	0.493	+0.0%
1980	0.506	+2.6%
1981	0.514	+1.6%
1982	0.541	+5.3%
1983	0.541	+0.0%
1984	0.541	+0.0%
1985	0.543	+0.4%
1986	0.543	+0.0%
1987	0.558	+2.8%
1988	0.664	+19.0%
1989	0.671	+1.1%
1990	0.674	+0.4%
1991	0.674	+0.0%
1992	0.674	+0.0%
1993	0.71	+5.3%
1994	0.721	+1.5%
1995	0.721	+0.0%
1996	0.728	+1.0%
1997	0.728	+0.0%
1998	0.811	+11.4%
1999	0.81	-0.1%
2000	0.865	+6.8%
2001	0.865	+0.0%
2002	0.875	+1.2%
2003	0.873	-0.2%
2004	0.873	+0.0%
2005	0.87	-0.3%
2006	0.87	+0.0%
2007	0.875	+0.6%
2008	0.869	-0.7%
2009	0.869	+0.0%
2010	0.877	+0.9%
2011	0.873	-0.5%
2012	0.88	+0.8%
2013	0.872	-0.9%
2014	0.877	+0.6%
2015	0.855	-2.5%
2016	0.855	+0.0%
2017	0.879	+2.8%
2018	0.878	-0.1%
2019	0.864	-1.6%
2020	0.866	+0.2%
2021	0.851	-1.7%
2022	0.874	+2.7%
2023	0.866	-0.9%
2024	0.863	-0.3%
2025	0.878	+1.7%

South Korea compared with similar countries

South Korea's 0.878 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.896, 98% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
South Korea's 0.878 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.747, 1.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.042	0.042	0.042	1
1790s	0.042	0.042	0.042	10
1800s	0.042	0.042	0.042	10
1810s	0.042	0.042	0.042	10
1820s	0.042	0.042	0.042	10
1830s	0.042	0.042	0.042	10
1840s	0.042	0.042	0.042	10
1850s	0.042	0.042	0.042	10
1860s	0.042	0.042	0.042	10
1870s	0.042	0.042	0.042	10
1880s	0.042	0.042	0.042	10
1890s	0.0741	0.042	0.119	10
1900s	0.1161	0.115	0.117	10
1910s	0.149	0.128	0.154	10
1920s	0.1554	0.154	0.156	10
1930s	0.1524	0.141	0.156	10
1940s	0.2598	0.128	0.424	10
1950s	0.4442	0.412	0.474	10
1960s	0.4802	0.473	0.49	10
1970s	0.4972	0.483	0.506	10
1980s	0.5622	0.506	0.671	10
1990s	0.7251	0.674	0.811	10
2000s	0.8704	0.865	0.875	10
2010s	0.871	0.855	0.88	10
2020s	0.8663	0.851	0.878	6

Countries ranked near South Korea

34 Ukraine 0.888 compare
35 Iceland 0.883 compare
36 Benin 0.882 compare
37 Poland 0.878 compare
37 Slovakia 0.878 compare
40 Suriname 0.877 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More gender data for South Korea

Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,318 (2030)
Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -3.79 % change on previous year (2030)
Population 46,871 (2030)
Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 46,871 (2030)
Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.0957 % change on previous year (2030)
Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 119,025 (2025)
Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 125,732 (2025)
Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 116,471 (2025)
Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 122,813 (2025)
Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 119,098 (2025)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is women's political empowerment index in South Korea?: Women's political empowerment index in South Korea was 0.878 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest women's political empowerment index recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 0.88 in 2012.
What is the lowest women's political empowerment index recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 0.042 in 1789.
How does South Korea rank for women's political empowerment index?: South Korea ranks 37th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is women's political empowerment index rising or falling in South Korea?: Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Women's Political Empowerment Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Women's Political Empowerment Index in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 October 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/women-political-empowerment-index/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator: Women's Political Empowerment Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 26,029 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 09 October 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which women enjoy civil liberties, can participate in civil society, and are represented in politics.