South Korea vs United States: Competitive elections
South Korea
1
in 2025
United States
1
in 2025
South Korea rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Competitive elections over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 1 against 1 in United States, a difference of 0.
Across all 78 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 198 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1950s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1960s | 0.1 | 1 | 0.9 | United States |
| 1970s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1980s | 0.2 | 1 | 0.8 | United States |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher competitive elections, South Korea or United States?
- South Korea, at 1 against 1 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in competitive elections between South Korea and United States?
- 0, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
- 78 years are reported by both, from 1948 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and United States rank globally for competitive elections?
- South Korea ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Competitive elections. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.