Share of services as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in South Korea
South Korea: Share of services as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita was 53.7% in 2011. ▲ Rising
Share of services as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in South Korea, 1911–2011
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Korea is 53.7%, measured in 2011.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Korea peaked at 56.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 24.1%, in 1918.
South Korea ranks 31st of 43 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 89 years of available data.
Share of services as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 25.5% | — |
| 1912 | 25.1% | -1.6% |
| 1913 | 24.3% | -3.2% |
| 1914 | 25.9% | +6.6% |
| 1915 | 28.4% | +9.7% |
| 1916 | 27.3% | -3.9% |
| 1917 | 25.8% | -5.5% |
| 1918 | 24.1% | -6.6% |
| 1919 | 27.6% | +14.5% |
| 1920 | 26.9% | -2.5% |
| 1921 | 31.2% | +16.0% |
| 1922 | 29.9% | -4.2% |
| 1923 | 30.5% | +2.0% |
| 1924 | 29.8% | -2.3% |
| 1925 | 29.3% | -1.7% |
| 1926 | 30.6% | +4.4% |
| 1927 | 31.2% | +2.0% |
| 1928 | 34.0% | +9.0% |
| 1929 | 35.1% | +3.2% |
| 1930 | 37.3% | +6.3% |
| 1931 | 36.1% | -3.2% |
| 1932 | 34.3% | -5.0% |
| 1933 | 34.0% | -0.9% |
| 1934 | 33.8% | -0.6% |
| 1935 | 32.5% | -3.8% |
| 1936 | 33.7% | +3.7% |
| 1937 | 30.8% | -8.6% |
| 1938 | 31.9% | +3.6% |
| 1939 | 33.0% | +3.4% |
| 1940 | 31.6% | -4.2% |
| 1953 | 40.8% | +29.1% |
| 1954 | 44.8% | +9.8% |
| 1955 | 39.1% | -12.7% |
| 1956 | 37.0% | -5.4% |
| 1957 | 39.3% | +6.2% |
| 1958 | 42.2% | +7.4% |
| 1959 | 47.0% | +11.4% |
| 1960 | 45.4% | -3.4% |
| 1961 | 42.4% | -6.6% |
| 1962 | 44.1% | +4.0% |
| 1963 | 40.1% | -9.1% |
| 1964 | 34.6% | -13.7% |
| 1965 | 39.0% | +12.7% |
| 1966 | 42.1% | +7.9% |
| 1967 | 45.7% | +8.6% |
| 1968 | 47.3% | +3.5% |
| 1969 | 45.9% | -3.0% |
| 1970 | 45.7% | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 46.2% | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 46.1% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 44.8% | -2.8% |
| 1974 | 43.9% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 43.1% | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 43.2% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 43.1% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 42.4% | -1.6% |
| 1979 | 42.3% | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 46.2% | +9.2% |
| 1981 | 46.3% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 47.4% | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 47.3% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 47.7% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 48.6% | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 49.1% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 49.3% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 48.4% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 49.5% | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 49.3% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 48.8% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 50.0% | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 50.3% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 50.6% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 50.4% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 51.3% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 52.2% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 53.4% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 53.6% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 54.2% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 55.9% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 56.1% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 56.0% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 54.3% | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 54.9% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 55.7% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 55.8% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 55.6% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 56.2% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 54.3% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 53.7% | -1.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 53.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 71.8%, 75% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 53.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 53.7%, 1.0× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of services as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | +29.1% | 31.6% | 40.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 26.0% | 24.1% | 28.4% | 9 |
| 1920s | 30.9% | 26.9% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 1930s | 33.7% | 30.8% | 37.3% | 10 |
| 1940s | 31.6% | 31.6% | 31.6% | 1 |
| 1950s | 41.5% | 37.0% | 47.0% | 7 |
| 1960s | 42.7% | 34.6% | 47.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 44.1% | 42.3% | 46.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 48.0% | 46.2% | 49.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.0% | 48.8% | 53.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.5% | 54.2% | 56.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.0% | 53.7% | 54.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More economy & growth data for South Korea
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 41.23 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.022 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 797.74 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 15.80 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 22.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0084 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 305.78 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 4.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2332 includes gold, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per capita 8,447 includes gold, current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Korea?
- Share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Korea was 53.7% in 2011, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 56.2% in 2009.
- What is the lowest share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.1% in 1918.
- How does South Korea rank for share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- South Korea ranks 31st out of 43 countries with data for 2011.
- Is share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of services as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 89 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The vertical axis shows historical estimates of the value of services divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. The horizontal axis shows GDP per capita, adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.