South Korea vs United States: Foreign direct investment, net
Foreign direct investment, net over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 25.43 billion BoP, current US$ against 21.71 billion BoP, current US$ in United States, a difference of 3.72 billion BoP, current US$.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 13 times across 49 shared years of data; in 1976 it was United States ahead.
South Korea ranks 6th and United States ranks 8th of 196 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 3 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -69.67 million BoP, current US$ | 8.55 billion BoP, current US$ | 8.62 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 1980s | -86.58 million BoP, current US$ | -14.27 billion BoP, current US$ | 14.18 billion BoP, current US$ | South Korea |
| 1990s | -120.33 million BoP, current US$ | 4.27 billion BoP, current US$ | 4.39 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 2000s | 724.57 million BoP, current US$ | 34.41 billion BoP, current US$ | 33.68 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 2010s | 19.91 billion BoP, current US$ | -27.57 billion BoP, current US$ | 47.48 billion BoP, current US$ | South Korea |
| 2020s | 31.03 billion BoP, current US$ | 2.90 billion BoP, current US$ | 28.13 billion BoP, current US$ | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net, South Korea or United States?
- South Korea, at 25.43 billion BoP, current US$ against 21.71 billion BoP, current US$ in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net between South Korea and United States?
- 3.72 billion BoP, current US$, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
- 49 years are reported by both, from 1976 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and United States rank globally for foreign direct investment, net?
- South Korea ranks 6th and United States ranks 8th of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Foreign direct investment, net (BoP, current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Foreign direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the voting power is evidence of a direct investment relationship. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.