Current account balance in South Korea
South Korea: Current account balance was 123.05 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Current account balance in South Korea, 1976–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in BoP, current US$.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 123.05 billion BoP, current US$ for current account balance in 2025. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 23.1% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current account balance in South Korea peaked at 123.05 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, -24.46 billion BoP, current US$, in 1996.
That places South Korea 4th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -1.38 billion BoP, current US$ | -4.15 billion BoP, current US$ | 12.00 million BoP, current US$ | 4 |
| 1980s | 196.43 million BoP, current US$ | -6.84 billion BoP, current US$ | 12.76 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | -44.92 million BoP, current US$ | -24.46 billion BoP, current US$ | 40.11 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.66 billion BoP, current US$ | 1.75 billion BoP, current US$ | 33.09 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.91 billion BoP, current US$ | 16.64 billion BoP, current US$ | 105.12 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.20 billion BoP, current US$ | 23.24 billion BoP, current US$ | 123.05 billion BoP, current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More economy & growth data for South Korea
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP 5.2% (2025)
- Inflation of consumer prices 2.1% (2025)
- GDP per capita 37,470 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 27.4% (2025)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 1.94 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita in international and market dollars 37,470 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor 1,422 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -6.93 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -4.87 billion current US$ (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 185.85 trillion current LCU (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current account balance in South Korea?
- Current account balance in South Korea was 123.05 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest current account balance recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 123.05 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest current account balance recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -24.46 billion BoP, current US$ in 1996.
- How does South Korea rank for current account balance?
- South Korea ranks 4th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is current account balance rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Current account balance (BoP, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. 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.