South Korea vs Middle income: Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$)
Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$) over time
- South Korea
- Middle income
How they compare
Middle income currently reports 297.43 billion BoP, current US$ against 41.23 billion BoP, current US$ in South Korea, a difference of 256.20 billion BoP, current US$.
That makes Middle income's figure about 7.2 times South Korea's.
Across all 55 years both countries report, Middle income has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 16th and Middle income ranks 13th of 193 countries.
Middle income has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.60 million BoP, current US$ | 235.48 million BoP, current US$ | 224.88 million BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
| 1980s | 442.40 million BoP, current US$ | 1.53 billion BoP, current US$ | 1.09 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
| 1990s | 2.96 billion BoP, current US$ | 11.14 billion BoP, current US$ | 8.18 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
| 2000s | 10.29 billion BoP, current US$ | 63.86 billion BoP, current US$ | 53.57 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
| 2010s | 30.59 billion BoP, current US$ | 215.91 billion BoP, current US$ | 185.32 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
| 2020s | 48.29 billion BoP, current US$ | 290.20 billion BoP, current US$ | 241.90 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net outflows, South Korea or Middle income?
- Middle income, at 297.43 billion BoP, current US$ against 41.23 billion BoP, current US$ in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net outflows between South Korea and Middle income?
- 256.20 billion BoP, current US$, with Middle income ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Middle income?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and Middle income rank globally for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- South Korea ranks 16th and Middle income ranks 13th of 193 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D, published as Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in an economy. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, and other capital. 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 ordinary shares of voting stock is the criterion for determining the existence of a direct investment relationship. This series shows net outflows of investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world. Data are in current U.S. dollars.