Malaysia vs South Korea: Human rights

Human rights in 2025: 0.74 of 1 in Malaysia and 0.91 of 1 in South Korea, by V-Dem estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 0.17 of 1, or 1.23 times that in Malaysia.

Watch it change on the map

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

MalaysiaSouth KoreaWorld

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher since 1987, when it overtook Malaysia.
The world as a whole: 0.65 of 1 in 2025.

Every year

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Year	Malaysia	South Korea	World
2025	0.74	0.91	0.65
2024	0.74	0.83	0.65
2023	0.75	0.88	0.66
2022	0.74	0.91	0.66
2021	0.73	0.93	0.67
2020	0.71	0.92	0.67
2019	0.73	0.92	0.68
2018	0.72	0.93	0.68
2017	0.64	0.93	0.68
2016	0.61	0.88	0.68
2015	0.62	0.88	0.69
2014	0.62	0.88	0.69
2013	0.62	0.88	0.7
2012	0.62	0.89	0.7
2011	0.62	0.89	0.7
2010	0.63	0.89	0.7
2009	0.63	0.89	0.69
2008	0.64	0.89	0.69
2007	0.63	0.93	0.69
2006	0.63	0.93	0.69
2005	0.63	0.93	0.69
2004	0.63	0.93	0.69
2003	0.6	0.93	0.69
2002	0.59	0.93	0.68
2001	0.59	0.93	0.68
2000	0.58	0.93	0.67
1999	0.57	0.93	0.66
1998	0.57	0.92	0.65
1997	0.56	0.9	0.65
1996	0.56	0.9	0.65
1995	0.56	0.9	0.65
1994	0.56	0.9	0.64
1993	0.56	0.9	0.63
1992	0.56	0.85	0.62
1991	0.56	0.85	0.6
1990	0.56	0.85	0.57
1989	0.56	0.84	0.51
1988	0.56	0.8	0.5
1987	0.56	0.64	0.5
1986	0.56	0.52	0.49
1985	0.56	0.51	0.48
1984	0.56	0.48	0.47
1983	0.56	0.46	0.47
1982	0.56	0.45	0.46
1981	0.56	0.41	0.46
1980	0.56	0.46	0.46
1979	0.55	0.38	0.45
1978	0.55	0.38	0.44
1977	0.55	0.38	0.44
1976	0.55	0.38	0.44
1975	0.55	0.38	0.44
1974	0.55	0.38	0.43
1973	0.55	0.39	0.43
1972	0.55	0.39	0.44
1971	0.55	0.45	0.44
1970	0.55	0.45	0.44
1969	0.56	0.45	0.44
1968	0.56	0.45	0.45
1967	0.56	0.45	0.45
1966	0.56	0.45	0.46
1965	0.56	0.45	0.46
1964	0.56	0.47	0.46
1963	0.57	0.45	0.46
1962	0.57	0.43	0.46
1961	0.57	0.45	0.46
1960	0.55	0.66	0.46
1959	0.55	0.49	0.44
1958	0.55	0.49	0.44
1957	0.53	0.48	0.43
1956	0.51	0.48	0.43
1955	0.51	0.48	0.43
1954	0.48	0.48	0.43
1953	0.48	0.41	0.43
1952	0.48	0.37	0.43
1951	0.48	0.37	0.43
1950	0.48	0.38	0.42
1949	0.48	0.46	0.42
1948	0.48	0.46	0.42
1947	0.51	0.44	0.42
1946	0.45	0.46	0.42
1945	0.28	0.27	0.38
1944	0.27	0.08	0.35
1943	0.27	0.08	0.35
1942	0.27	0.08	0.35
1941	0.37	0.08	0.35
1940	0.48	0.1	0.36
1939	0.53	0.1	0.38
1938	0.53	0.11	0.39
1937	0.53	0.11	0.39
1936	0.53	0.11	0.39
1935	0.53	0.11	0.4
1934	0.53	0.11	0.4
1933	0.53	0.11	0.4
1932	0.53	0.11	0.41
1931	0.53	0.11	0.41
1930	0.53	0.11	0.41
1929	0.53	0.11	0.41
1928	0.53	0.11	0.41
1927	0.53	0.11	0.41
1926	0.53	0.11	0.41
1925	0.53	0.11	0.41
1924	0.53	0.11	0.42
1923	0.53	0.11	0.41
1922	0.53	0.11	0.42
1921	0.53	0.11	0.42
1920	0.53	0.11	0.42
1919	0.53	0.11	0.41
1918	0.53	0.11	0.4
1917	0.53	0.11	0.39
1916	0.53	0.11	0.39
1915	0.52	0.11	0.4
1914	0.52	0.11	0.4
1913	0.52	0.11	0.41
1912	0.52	0.11	0.41
1911	0.52	0.11	0.41
1910	0.52	0.12	0.41
1909	0.52	0.2	0.41
1908	0.52	0.2	0.41
1907	0.52	0.2	0.41
1906	0.52	0.2	0.41
1905	0.52	0.2	0.41
1904	0.52	0.2	0.41
1903	0.52	0.21	0.41
1902	0.52	0.21	0.41
1901	0.52	0.21	0.41
1900	0.52	0.21	0.41
1899	–	0.22	0.47
1898	–	0.22	0.47
1897	–	0.23	0.46
1896	–	0.27	0.47
1895	–	0.17	0.46
1894	–	0.11	0.46
1893	–	0.1	0.46
1892	–	0.1	0.45
1891	–	0.1	0.45
1890	–	0.1	0.45
1889	–	0.1	0.45
1888	–	0.1	0.45
1887	–	0.1	0.45
1886	–	0.1	0.44
1885	–	0.09	0.44
1884	–	0.09	0.44
1883	–	0.09	0.44
1882	–	0.09	0.44
1881	–	0.08	0.44
1880	–	0.08	0.44
1879	–	0.08	0.45
1878	–	0.08	0.45
1877	–	0.08	0.44
1876	–	0.08	0.45
1875	–	0.07	0.45
1874	–	0.07	0.45
1873	–	0.07	0.45
1872	–	0.07	0.44
1871	–	0.07	0.45
1870	–	0.07	0.44
1869	–	0.07	0.44
1868	–	0.07	0.43
1867	–	0.07	0.44
1866	–	0.07	0.43
1865	–	0.08	0.43
1864	–	0.08	0.42
1863	–	0.08	0.43
1862	–	0.08	0.43
1861	–	0.08	0.42
1860	–	0.08	0.41
1859	–	0.08	0.4
1858	–	0.08	0.4
1857	–	0.08	0.4
1856	–	0.08	0.4
1855	–	0.08	0.4
1854	–	0.08	0.4
1853	–	0.08	0.4
1852	–	0.08	0.39
1851	–	0.08	0.39
1850	–	0.08	0.39
1849	–	0.08	0.41
1848	–	0.08	0.4
1847	–	0.08	0.38
1846	–	0.08	0.38
1845	–	0.08	0.37
1844	–	0.08	0.37
1843	–	0.08	0.37
1842	–	0.08	0.37
1841	–	0.08	0.37
1840	–	0.08	0.36
1839	–	0.08	0.36
1838	–	0.08	0.36
1837	–	0.08	0.36
1836	–	0.08	0.36
1835	–	0.08	0.36
1834	–	0.08	0.35
1833	–	0.08	0.35
1832	–	0.08	0.35
1831	–	0.08	0.35
1830	–	0.08	0.35
1829	–	0.08	0.35
1828	–	0.08	0.35
1827	–	0.08	0.35
1826	–	0.08	0.35
1825	–	0.08	0.35
1824	–	0.08	0.34
1823	–	0.08	0.35
1822	–	0.08	0.34
1821	–	0.08	0.34
1820	–	0.08	0.33
1819	–	0.08	0.32
1818	–	0.08	0.31
1817	–	0.08	0.31
1816	–	0.08	0.32
1815	–	0.08	0.32
1814	–	0.08	0.3
1813	–	0.08	0.29
1812	–	0.08	0.28
1811	–	0.08	0.28
1810	–	0.08	0.29
1809	–	0.08	0.29
1808	–	0.08	0.28
1807	–	0.08	0.28
1806	–	0.08	0.27
1805	–	0.08	0.27
1804	–	0.08	0.27
1803	–	0.09	0.27
1802	–	0.09	0.27
1801	–	0.08	0.27
1800	–	0.09	0.27
1799	–	0.08	0.28
1798	–	0.08	0.27
1797	–	0.08	0.27
1796	–	0.08	0.27
1795	–	0.08	0.27
1794	–	0.08	0.27
1793	–	0.08	0.27
1792	–	0.08	0.27
1791	–	0.08	0.27
1790	–	0.08	0.27
1789	–	0.08	0.27

Each country on its own

Good to know

V-Dem’s civil liberties index: how free people are from government violence and how far they hold private and political liberties, from 0 to 1.
Source: V-Dem (2026), via Our World in Data.
Ranks count the 175 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Malaysia vs South Korea: Human rights

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

Malaysia vs South Korea

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