How does South Korea rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per unit?

South Korea ranks 153rd out of 200 countries with data for 2025.

Is foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per unit rising or falling in South Korea?

Over the last ten years it is up 216.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) … unit in South Korea

Name: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) … unit in South Korea
Creator: Statizoid (derived)
License: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page

South Korea: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) … unit was 0.0084 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.0084 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP

Change on year

up 23.1%

World rank

153rd

of 200 countries

All-time high

0.0451 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP

in 1972

All-time low

0.0001 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP

in 1974

Years of data

1970–2025

Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit in South Korea, 1970–2025

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 0.0084 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP for foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per unit in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 23.1% on the previous year and up 216.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per unit in South Korea peaked at 0.0451 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.0001 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP, in 1974.

South Korea ranks 153rd of 200 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) … unit in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit of GDP in South Korea, 1970 to 2025.
Year	BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	Change
1970	0.0073 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	—
1971	0.0042 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-42.2%
1972	0.0451 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+975.1%
1973	0.0003 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-99.4%
1974	0.0001 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-64.6%
1975	0.0003 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+169.3%
1976	0.0027 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+883.5%
1977	0.0024 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-9.8%
1978	0.0017 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-30.0%
1979	0.0025 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+49.9%
1980	0.0007 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-72.0%
1981	0.0021 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+195.0%
1982	0.0015 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-27.5%
1983	0.0021 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+35.9%
1984	0.0022 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+8.9%
1985	0.0034 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+53.0%
1986	0.0057 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+66.1%
1987	0.0055 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-3.2%
1988	0.0063 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+14.2%
1989	0.0055 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-13.1%
1990	0.0036 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-34.5%
1991	0.0043 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+19.3%
1992	0.0027 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-36.1%
1993	0.0021 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-24.8%
1994	0.0024 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+15.6%
1995	0.0042 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+78.8%
1996	0.0044 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+3.9%
1997	0.0056 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+27.1%
1998	0.0151 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+169.1%
1999	0.0208 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+38.0%
2000	0.0193 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-7.4%
2001	0.0115 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-40.3%
2002	0.0084 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-26.7%
2003	0.0096 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+14.2%
2004	0.0161 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+67.8%
2005	0.014 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-13.1%
2006	0.0084 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-40.4%
2007	0.0072 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-13.6%
2008	0.0102 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+41.8%
2009	0.0092 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-10.5%
2010	0.008 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-13.2%
2011	0.0075 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-6.1%
2012	0.0071 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-4.9%
2013	0.0089 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+25.1%
2014	0.006 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-33.0%
2015	0.0027 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-55.3%
2016	0.0077 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+187.5%
2017	0.0105 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+36.6%
2018	0.0067 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-36.2%
2019	0.0055 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-17.6%
2020	0.005 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-8.7%
2021	0.0114 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+126.0%
2022	0.0139 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+22.5%
2023	0.0103 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-25.8%
2024	0.0069 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	-33.6%
2025	0.0084 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	+23.1%

South Korea compared with similar countries

South Korea's 0.0084 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0212 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP, 40% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
South Korea's 0.0084 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0206 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP, 41% of the median. (32 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) … unit in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

Year	Change	From	To
1972	+975.1%	0.0042 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0451 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP
1976	+883.5%	0.0003 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0027 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1970s	0.0067 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0001 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0451 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
1980s	0.0035 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0007 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0063 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
1990s	0.0065 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0021 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0208 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
2000s	0.0114 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0072 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0193 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
2010s	0.007 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0027 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0105 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
2020s	0.0093 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.005 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0139 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP	6

Countries ranked near South Korea

150 Angola 0.0094 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
151 Russia 0.009 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
152 Turkey 0.0086 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
154 Ireland 0.0079 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
155 Togo 0.0079 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
156 Sri Lanka 0.0076 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare

See the full ranking of 247 places →

More economy & growth data for South Korea

SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 7.89 % change on previous year (2025)
SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0085 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 307.17 units per person (2025)
SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 2.74 % change on previous year (2025)
SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0062 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 224.29 units per person (2025)
IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.58 % change on previous year (2025)
IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0047 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per capita 168.75 units per person (2025)
IMF holdings of currency, SDR, annual growth rate -0.4147 % change on previous year (2025)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per unit in South Korea?: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per unit in South Korea was 0.0084 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per unit recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 0.0451 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1972.
What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per unit recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0001 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1974.
How does South Korea rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per unit?: South Korea ranks 153rd out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
Is foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per unit rising or falling in South Korea?: Over the last ten years it is up 216.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?: The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 26 October 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/foreign-direct-investment-net-inflows-bop-current-us-per-unit-of-gdp/korea-rep/

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How this figure is calculated

Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) ÷ GDP (current US$)

Computed from

Foreign direct investment, net inflows 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
GDP Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit of GDP
Unit: BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP
Source: Statizoid (derived)
Licence: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage: 247 places, 11,888 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed: 11 September 2026

Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.