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# South Korea Economy

> South Korea economic indicators: GDP $1.87T, inflation 2.8%, unemployment 2.8%, policy rate 2.8%. 43 official series with history to 1952,… Updated Aug 2026.

## Indicators

| Indicator | Last | Date | Previous | Highest | Lowest |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Confidence | -4.67 | Aug 2026 | -6.33 | 65.00 (Feb 1998) | -37.67 (Dec 2008) |
| Composite Leading Indicator | 103 | Jun 2026 | 103 | 106 (Sep 1999) | 94.81 (Mar 1998) |
| Consumer Confidence | 4.50 | Aug 2026 | 6.80 | 23.00 (Oct 2009) | -32.30 (Dec 2008) |
| Age-dependency ratio | 44.0% | Dec 2025 | 42.5% | 87.7% (Dec 1966) | 36.5% (Dec 2016) |
| Total fertility rate | 0.75 births per woman | Dec 2024 | 0.72 births per woman | 5.99 births per woman (Dec 1960) | 0.72 births per woman (Dec 2023) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.63 years | Dec 2024 | 83.43 years | 83.63 years (Dec 2024) | 53.80 years (Dec 1960) |
| Total population | 51.7M | Dec 2025 | 51.8M | 51.8M (Dec 2020) | 25.0M (Dec 1960) |
| Working-age population | 35.9M | Dec 2025 | 36.3M | 37.6M (Dec 2018) | 13.9M (Dec 1960) |
| Current account % GDP | 6.6% | Dec 2025 | 5.3% | 10.1% (Dec 1998) | -10.3% (Dec 1980) |
| Current Account Goods | $73.6B | Mar 2026 | $42.6B | $73.6B (Mar 2026) | $-8.1B (Mar 2023) |
| Current Account Services | $-7.0B | Mar 2026 | $-10.6B | $1.2B (Mar 1998) | $-10.6B (Dec 2017) |
| FDI inflows | $15.8B | Dec 2025 | $12.9B | $25.0B (Dec 2022) | $2.0M (Dec 1974) |
| Gold Reserves | $4.8B | Jul 2026 | $4.8B | $4.8B (Jul 2026) | $73.0M (Jun 2005) |
| Personal remittances, received | $7.1B | Dec 2025 | $7.3B | $7.9B (Dec 2022) | $47.0M (Dec 1976) |
| Tourism Revenues | $6.0B | Mar 2026 | $5.9B | $6.2B (Sep 2025) | $49.0M (Mar 1976) |
| CO2 emissions | 588 Mt CO₂ | Dec 2024 | 590 Mt CO₂ | 680 Mt CO₂ (Dec 2018) | 62.34 Mt CO₂ (Dec 1970) |
| Energy use per capita | 5,439 kg oil eq. per capita | Dec 2024 | 5,337 kg oil eq. per capita | 5,532 kg oil eq. per capita (Dec 2018) | 2,088 kg oil eq. per capita (Dec 1990) |
| Budget balance % GDP | -1.4% | Dec 2025 | -0.8% | 3.9% (Dec 2000) | -2.1% (Dec 2020) |
| Government debt % GDP | 52.3% | Dec 2025 | 49.7% | 52.3% (Dec 2025) | 7.8% (Dec 1996) |
| Military expenditure | 2.6% | Dec 2024 | 2.6% | 7.2% (Dec 1960) | 2.2% (Dec 2004) |
| Military expenditure, current USD | $47.6B | Dec 2024 | $47.8B | $50.9B (Dec 2021) | $132.1M (Dec 1965) |
| Government Spending to GDP | 24.0% | Dec 2025 | 22.5% | 26.7% (Dec 2022) | 13.5% (Dec 1995) |
| Tax revenue % GDP | 13.3% | Dec 2024 | 14.6% | 17.2% (Dec 2022) | 10.3% (Dec 1973) |
| Policy / benchmark interest rate | 2.8% | Jul 2026 | 2.5% | 5.3% (Sep 2008) | 0.5% (Jul 2021) |
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% | Jul 2026 | 2.7% | 8.2% (Sep 1998) | 1.9% (Feb 1996) |
| Private credit / GDP | 160.3% | Dec 2024 | 163.5% | 163.5% (Dec 2023) | 5.7% (Dec 1960) |
| Official / period-average FX vs USD | 1406.30 per USD | Aug 2026 | 1497.43 per USD | 1706.80 per USD (Jan 1998) | 50.00 per USD (Jan 1960) |
| Foreign-exchange reserves (ex-gold) | $427.9B | Jul 2026 | $427.4B | $469.2B (Oct 2021) | $199.7B (Jan 2005) |
| Money supply M2 | 4472.18T LCU | Oct 2025 | 4447.79T LCU | 4472.18T LCU (Oct 2025) | 764.98T LCU (Dec 2001) |
| GDP, current prices, USD | $1.87T | Dec 2025 | $1.88T | $1.94T (Dec 2021) | $2.4B (Dec 1961) |
| Full-Year GDP Growth | 1.0% | Dec 2025 | 2.0% | 13.5% (Dec 1983) | -4.9% (Dec 1998) |
| GDP per capita, PPP | Int$63,125 | Dec 2025 | Int$61,051 | Int$63,125 (Dec 2025) | Int$8,567 (Dec 1990) |
| GDP per capita, current USD | $36,227 | Dec 2025 | $36,239 | $37,518 (Dec 2021) | $94 (Dec 1961) |
| GDP, PPP, international $ | Int$3.26T | Dec 2025 | Int$3.16T | Int$3.26T (Dec 2025) | Int$367.3B (Dec 1990) |
| Real GDP growth, YoY | 3.7% | Jun 2026 | 3.8% | 19.8% (Dec 1969) | -7.1% (Jun 1998) |
| Inflation rate, CPI YoY | 2.8% | Jul 2026 | 3.2% | 122.1% (Oct 1952) | -12.0% (Apr 1958) |
| Hospital beds per 1,000 | 12.81 per 1,000 people | Dec 2022 | 12.75 per 1,000 people | 12.81 per 1,000 people (Dec 2022) | 1.70 per 1,000 people (Dec 1980) |
| Health expenditure % GDP | 8.7% | Dec 2024 | 8.6% | 8.9% (Dec 2022) | 3.7% (Dec 2000) |
| ICT goods exports, % of goods exports | 28.3% | Dec 2024 | 22.8% | 34.4% (Dec 2000) | 16.4% (Dec 2012) |
| ICT service exports, % of service exports | 12.5% | Dec 2025 | 11.6% | 12.5% (Dec 2025) | 0.1% (Dec 1976) |
| Industrial production YoY | 5.5% | Jul 2026 | 4.4% | 35.2% (Jul 1999) | -21.6% (Jan 2009) |
| Research & development expenditure % GDP | 4.9% | Dec 2023 | 4.8% | 4.9% (Dec 2023) | 1.9% (Dec 1999) |
| High-technology exports, % of manufactured exports | 36.3% | Dec 2024 | 30.3% | 36.4% (Dec 2018) | 28.2% (Dec 2011) |

## Full detail pages

- [Business Confidence](/south-korea/business-confidence.md)
- [Composite Leading Indicator](/south-korea/composite-leading-indicator.md)
- [Consumer Confidence](/south-korea/consumer-confidence.md)
- [Age Dependency Ratio](/south-korea/age-dependency-ratio.md)
- [Fertility Rate](/south-korea/total-fertility-rate.md)
- [Life Expectancy](/south-korea/life-expectancy-at-birth.md)
- [Population](/south-korea/population.md)
- [Working-Age Population](/south-korea/working-age-population.md)
- [Current Account to GDP](/south-korea/current-account-pct-gdp.md)
- [Current Account Goods](/south-korea/current-account-goods.md)
- [Current Account Services](/south-korea/current-account-services.md)
- [FDI Inflows](/south-korea/fdi-inflows.md)
- [Gold Reserves](/south-korea/gold-reserves.md)
- [Remittances](/south-korea/personal-remittances-received.md)
- [Tourism Revenues](/south-korea/tourism-revenues.md)
- [CO2 Emissions](/south-korea/co2-emissions.md)
- [Energy Use per Capita](/south-korea/energy-use-per-capita.md)
- [Government Budget](/south-korea/budget-balance-pct-gdp.md)
- [Government Debt to GDP](/south-korea/government-debt-to-gdp.md)
- [Military Expenditure](/south-korea/military-expenditure.md)
- [Military Expenditure (USD)](/south-korea/military-expenditure-usd.md)
- [Government Spending to GDP](/south-korea/government-spending-to-gdp.md)
- [Tax Revenue to GDP](/south-korea/tax-revenue-pct-gdp.md)
- [Interest Rate](/south-korea/interest-rate.md)
- [Unemployment Rate](/south-korea/unemployment-rate.md)
- [Private Credit to GDP](/south-korea/private-credit-gdp.md)
- [Exchange Rate](/south-korea/exchange-rate.md)
- [Foreign Exchange Reserves](/south-korea/foreign-exchange-reserves.md)
- [Money supply M2](/south-korea/money-supply.md)
- [GDP](/south-korea/gdp.md)
- [Full-Year GDP Growth](/south-korea/full-year-gdp-growth.md)
- [GDP per Capita PPP](/south-korea/gdp-per-capita-ppp.md)
- [GDP per Capita](/south-korea/gdp-per-capita-current-usd.md)
- [GDP PPP](/south-korea/gdp-ppp-international.md)
- [GDP Growth Rate](/south-korea/gdp-growth-rate.md)
- [Inflation Rate](/south-korea/inflation-rate.md)
- [Hospital Beds](/south-korea/hospital-beds-per-1-000.md)
- [Health Expenditure](/south-korea/health-expenditure-pct-gdp.md)
- [ICT Goods Exports](/south-korea/ict-goods-exports-share.md)
- [ICT Service Exports](/south-korea/ict-service-exports-share.md)
- [Industrial Production](/south-korea/industrial-production-yoy.md)
- [R&D Expenditure](/south-korea/rd-expenditure-pct-gdp.md)
- [High-Tech Exports](/south-korea/high-tech-exports-share.md)

## FAQ

**What is the current inflation rate in South Korea?**

South Korea's consumer price inflation is 2.8% year-on-year as of Jul 2026.

**How big is South Korea's economy?**

South Korea's nominal GDP was $1.87T in 2025.

**What is the unemployment rate in South Korea?**

South Korea's unemployment rate is 2.8% as of Jul 2026.

**Where does this data come from?**

We use primary economic sources for every country. See our methodology page for how we source and verify it.

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Full history via API: `GET https://api.economicsapi.com/v1/history?country=south-korea&indicator={indicator}`. Same data as an MCP tool, one per indicator.