South Korea Economy
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP, current prices, USD | $1.87T | $1.88T | $1.94T | $2.4B | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Real GDP growth, YoY | 3.7% | 3.8% | 19.8% | -7.1% | Jun 2026 | Quarterly |
| Inflation rate, CPI YoY | 2.8% | 3.2% | 122.1% | -12.0% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% | 2.7% | 8.2% | 1.9% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Policy / benchmark interest rate | 2.8% | 2.5% | 5.3% | 0.5% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Government debt % GDP | 52.3% | 49.7% | 52.3% | 7.8% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP, current prices, USD | $1.87T | $1.88T | $1.94T | $2.4B | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Full-Year GDP Growth | 1.0% | 2.0% | 13.5% | -4.9% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| GDP per capita, PPP | Int$63,125 | Int$61,051 | Int$63,125 | Int$8,567 | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| GDP per capita, current USD | $36,227 | $36,239 | $37,518 | $94 | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| GDP, PPP, international $ | Int$3.26T | Int$3.16T | Int$3.26T | Int$367.3B | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Real GDP growth, YoY | 3.7% | 3.8% | 19.8% | -7.1% | Jun 2026 | Quarterly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 51.7M | 51.8M | 51.8M | 25.0M | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% | 2.7% | 8.2% | 1.9% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflation rate, CPI YoY | 2.8% | 3.2% | 122.1% | -12.0% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy / benchmark interest rate | 2.8% | 2.5% | 5.3% | 0.5% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Private credit / GDP | 160.3% | 163.5% | 163.5% | 5.7% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Official / period-average FX vs USD | 1406.30 per USD | 1497.43 per USD | 1706.80 per USD | 50.00 per USD | Aug 2026 | Monthly |
| Foreign-exchange reserves (ex-gold) | $427.9B | $427.4B | $469.2B | $199.7B | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Money supply M2 | 4472.18T LCU | 4447.79T LCU | 4472.18T LCU | 764.98T LCU | Oct 2025 | Monthly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Confidence | 4.50 | 6.80 | 23.00 | -32.30 | Aug 2026 | Monthly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current account % GDP | 6.6% | 5.3% | 10.1% | -10.3% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Current Account Goods | $73.6B | $42.6B | $73.6B | $-8.1B | Mar 2026 | Quarterly |
| Current Account Services | $-7.0B | $-10.6B | $1.2B | $-10.6B | Mar 2026 | Quarterly |
| FDI inflows | $15.8B | $12.9B | $25.0B | $2.0M | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Gold Reserves | $4.8B | $4.8B | $4.8B | $73.0M | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Personal remittances, received | $7.1B | $7.3B | $7.9B | $47.0M | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Tourism Revenues | $6.0B | $5.9B | $6.2B | $49.0M | Mar 2026 | Quarterly |
| Exports | $737.1B | $736.8B | — | — | 2025 | Annual |
| Imports | $622.6B | — | — | — | 2025 | Annual |
Top trading partners
| # | Name | Value 2025 | Share | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $266B | 19.6% | -0.1% |
| 2 | $199B | 14.6% | -1.4% | |
| 3 | Viet Nam | $93.1B | 6.8% | +8.9% |
| 4 | $78.7B | 5.8% | -0.3% | |
| 5 | Australia | $44.8B | 3.3% | +1.4% |
FAQ
South Korea trade FAQ
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget balance % GDP | -1.4% | -0.8% | 3.9% | -2.1% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Government debt % GDP | 52.3% | 49.7% | 52.3% | 7.8% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Military expenditure | 2.6% | 2.6% | 7.2% | 2.2% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Military expenditure, current USD | $47.6B | $47.8B | $50.9B | $132.1M | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Government Spending to GDP | 24.0% | 22.5% | 26.7% | 13.5% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Tax revenue % GDP | 13.3% | 14.6% | 17.2% | 10.3% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Confidence | -4.67 | -6.33 | 65.00 | -37.67 | Aug 2026 | Monthly |
| Composite Leading Indicator | 103 | 103 | 106 | 94.81 | Jun 2026 | Monthly |
| Industrial production YoY | 5.5% | 4.4% | 35.2% | -21.6% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age-dependency ratio | 44.0% | 42.5% | 87.7% | 36.5% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Total fertility rate | 0.75 births per woman | 0.72 births per woman | 5.99 births per woman | 0.72 births per woman | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.63 years | 83.43 years | 83.63 years | 53.80 years | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Working-age population | 35.9M | 36.3M | 37.6M | 13.9M | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital beds per 1,000 | 12.81 per 1,000 people | 12.75 per 1,000 people | 12.81 per 1,000 people | 1.70 per 1,000 people | Dec 2022 | Annual |
| Health expenditure % GDP | 8.7% | 8.6% | 8.9% | 3.7% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO2 emissions | 588 Mt CO₂ | 590 Mt CO₂ | 680 Mt CO₂ | 62.34 Mt CO₂ | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Energy use per capita | 5,439 kg oil eq. per capita | 5,337 kg oil eq. per capita | 5,532 kg oil eq. per capita | 2,088 kg oil eq. per capita | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICT goods exports, % of goods exports | 28.3% | 22.8% | 34.4% | 16.4% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| ICT service exports, % of service exports | 12.5% | 11.6% | 12.5% | 0.1% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Research & development expenditure % GDP | 4.9% | 4.8% | 4.9% | 1.9% | Dec 2023 | Annual |
| High-technology exports, % of manufactured exports | 36.3% | 30.3% | 36.4% | 28.2% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
FAQ