Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 2.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Republic of Korea, 1971–2025
Source: 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. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Republic of Korea stood at 2.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.9% on the previous year and up 43.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Republic of Korea peaked at 3.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1972.
Republic of Korea ranks 25th of 191 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.0% | — |
| 1972 | 0.0% | -69.7% |
| 1973 | 0.0% | +56.3% |
| 1974 | 0.1% | +395.8% |
| 1975 | 0.0% | -74.4% |
| 1976 | 0.0% | +9.3% |
| 1977 | 0.1% | +172.1% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | -1.4% |
| 1979 | 0.0% | -54.6% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | +167.7% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | +27.4% |
| 1982 | 0.2% | +180.4% |
| 1983 | 0.2% | -18.1% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | -51.9% |
| 1985 | 0.6% | +545.6% |
| 1986 | 1.1% | +80.6% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | -66.2% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | -18.8% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | +35.2% |
| 1991 | 0.5% | +20.3% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | -19.7% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -5.1% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | +51.9% |
| 1995 | 0.7% | +22.1% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | +18.9% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 1.1% | +41.9% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -27.6% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | -40.4% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | +9.4% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | +30.3% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | +26.9% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +33.8% |
| 2007 | 1.8% | +55.9% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | +33.7% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | -13.9% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | -14.5% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | +23.0% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 3.4% | +70.1% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | +7.6% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | -52.3% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | +52.0% |
| 2025 | 2.2% | -16.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.3% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.5% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.5% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 1.7% | 3.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More economy & growth data for Republic of Korea
- Gross capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate -2.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2913 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 10,553 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), annual growth rate 1.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per unit of GDP 414.37 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per capita 15.01 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2815 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 10,198 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 0.6183 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in Republic of Korea?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Republic of Korea was 2.2% in 2025, according to 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.
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3.7% in 2022.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1972.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- Republic of Korea ranks 25th out of 191 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.1%. 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 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 part of Foreign direct investment, net outflows (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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, and is divided by GDP.