Current account balance in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Current account balance was 6.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Current account balance in Republic of Korea, 1976–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for current account balance in Republic of Korea is 6.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 23.3% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current account balance in Republic of Korea peaked at 10.1% in 1998 and was at its lowest, -10.3%, in 1980.
Republic of Korea ranks 31st of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Current account balance in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | -1.0% | — |
| 1977 | 0.0% | -103.0% |
| 1978 | -2.1% | -6786.4% |
| 1979 | -6.1% | +196.8% |
| 1980 | -10.3% | +68.7% |
| 1981 | -8.6% | -16.0% |
| 1982 | -6.9% | -19.8% |
| 1983 | -3.9% | -43.6% |
| 1984 | -1.8% | -55.0% |
| 1985 | -2.0% | +13.8% |
| 1986 | 2.3% | -214.9% |
| 1987 | 5.8% | +151.8% |
| 1988 | 6.2% | +7.1% |
| 1989 | 1.5% | -76.1% |
| 1990 | -1.0% | -164.8% |
| 1991 | -2.4% | +145.5% |
| 1992 | -0.8% | -66.5% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -152.6% |
| 1994 | -1.0% | -340.4% |
| 1995 | -1.7% | +74.4% |
| 1996 | -3.9% | +122.1% |
| 1997 | -1.8% | -52.7% |
| 1998 | 10.1% | -650.2% |
| 1999 | 4.2% | -58.2% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -59.7% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | -77.6% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | +64.0% |
| 2003 | 1.6% | +148.1% |
| 2004 | 3.6% | +129.2% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | -64.7% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | -84.8% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +348.4% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -81.3% |
| 2009 | 3.4% | +1995.8% |
| 2010 | 2.3% | -30.4% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | -45.7% |
| 2012 | 3.7% | +187.0% |
| 2013 | 5.4% | +47.4% |
| 2014 | 5.3% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | +28.0% |
| 2016 | 6.2% | -9.2% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | -29.1% |
| 2018 | 4.2% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | -19.7% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | +28.7% |
| 2021 | 4.3% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -70.1% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | +36.5% |
| 2024 | 5.3% | +202.3% |
| 2025 | 6.6% | +23.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -2.3% | -6.1% | 0.0% | 4 |
| 1980s | -1.8% | -10.3% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | -3.9% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 0.2% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 1.3% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 1.3% | 6.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More economy & growth data for Republic of Korea
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2743 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 9,936 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 390.12 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 14.13 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.292 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 10,578 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 12.06 million constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 1.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.3433 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 12,437 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current account balance in Republic of Korea?
- Current account balance in Republic of Korea was 6.6% 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 Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 10.1% in 1998.
- What is the lowest current account balance recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -10.3% in 1980.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for current account balance?
- Republic of Korea ranks 31st out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is current account balance rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Republic of 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 (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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 as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.