Gross domestic product (GDP) in South Korea
South Korea: Gross domestic product (GDP) was 2.88 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025. ▲ Rising
Gross domestic product (GDP) in South Korea, 1990–2025
Source: Eurostat, OECD, IMF, and World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices.
Analysis
In 2025, gross domestic product (gdp) in South Korea stood at 2.88 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 25.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross domestic product (gdp) in South Korea peaked at 2.88 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025 and was at its lowest, 616.37 billion international-$ in 2021 prices, in 1990.
That places South Korea 14th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Gross domestic product (GDP) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 616.37 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | — |
| 1991 | 683.40 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +10.9% |
| 1992 | 726.81 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +6.4% |
| 1993 | 777.64 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +7.0% |
| 1994 | 850.52 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +9.4% |
| 1995 | 933.33 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | +9.7% |
| 1996 | 1.01 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +8.0% |
| 1997 | 1.07 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +6.3% |
| 1998 | 1.02 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | -4.9% |
| 1999 | 1.14 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +11.6% |
| 2000 | 1.24 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +9.2% |
| 2001 | 1.30 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 1.40 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +7.7% |
| 2003 | 1.44 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 1.52 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 1.58 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 1.67 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 1.77 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 1.82 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 1.83 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 1.96 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +7.0% |
| 2011 | 2.03 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 2.09 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 2.15 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 2.22 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 2.29 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 2.36 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 2.44 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 2.52 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 2.58 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 2.56 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 2.68 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 2.75 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 2.79 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 2.85 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 2.88 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | +1.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 2.88 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices is above the median for high income countries, which is 209.44 billion international-$ in 2021 prices, 13.7× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 2.88 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 69.86 billion international-$ in 2021 prices, 41.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 882.22 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 616.37 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 1.14 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.56 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | 1.24 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | 1.83 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.26 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | 1.96 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | 2.58 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.75 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | 2.56 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | 2.88 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 11 Turkey 3.20 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 12 Italy 3.16 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 13 Mexico 2.89 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 15 Spain 2.43 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 16 Canada 2.42 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 17 Saudi Arabia 2.33 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices compare
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 gross domestic product (gdp) in South Korea?
- Gross domestic product (gdp) in South Korea was 2.88 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025, according to Eurostat, OECD, IMF, and World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gross domestic product (gdp) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 2.88 trillion international-$ in 2021 prices in 2025.
- What is the lowest gross domestic product (gdp) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 616.37 billion international-$ in 2021 prices in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for gross domestic product (gdp)?
- South Korea ranks 14th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is gross domestic product (gdp) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, OECD, IMF, and World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gross domestic product (GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total economic output of a country or region per year. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.