Gross capital formation in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Gross capital formation was 29.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Gross capital formation in Republic of Korea, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gross capital formation in Republic of Korea is 29.1%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross capital formation in Republic of Korea peaked at 41.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 1960.
That places Republic of Korea 44th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Gross capital formation in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 10.6% | — |
| 1961 | 12.9% | +21.4% |
| 1962 | 14.3% | +11.0% |
| 1963 | 19.0% | +33.1% |
| 1964 | 15.7% | -17.5% |
| 1965 | 14.9% | -4.9% |
| 1966 | 21.8% | +46.2% |
| 1967 | 22.2% | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 27.2% | +22.4% |
| 1969 | 30.0% | +10.2% |
| 1970 | 26.4% | -12.0% |
| 1971 | 25.2% | -4.6% |
| 1972 | 21.8% | -13.3% |
| 1973 | 26.5% | +21.1% |
| 1974 | 32.9% | +24.5% |
| 1975 | 28.9% | -12.4% |
| 1976 | 27.9% | -3.2% |
| 1977 | 30.3% | +8.4% |
| 1978 | 34.8% | +15.0% |
| 1979 | 37.7% | +8.1% |
| 1980 | 34.5% | -8.4% |
| 1981 | 33.0% | -4.5% |
| 1982 | 32.8% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 33.3% | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 33.2% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 33.2% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 33.6% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 33.6% | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 35.7% | +6.4% |
| 1989 | 37.4% | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 40.2% | +7.3% |
| 1991 | 41.7% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 39.1% | -6.1% |
| 1993 | 38.1% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 38.9% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 39.3% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 39.7% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 37.4% | -5.9% |
| 1998 | 28.1% | -24.8% |
| 1999 | 31.3% | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 33.0% | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 31.9% | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 31.3% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 32.4% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 32.7% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 32.7% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 33.0% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 33.2% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 33.7% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 29.6% | -12.3% |
| 2010 | 32.8% | +10.9% |
| 2011 | 33.3% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 31.2% | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 29.9% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 29.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 29.3% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 30.0% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 32.0% | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 31.2% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 31.2% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 31.5% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 32.5% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 33.3% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 31.9% | -4.3% |
| 2024 | 30.0% | -6.0% |
| 2025 | 29.1% | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.9% | 10.6% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 29.2% | 21.8% | 37.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.0% | 32.8% | 37.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.4% | 28.1% | 41.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.4% | 29.6% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.1% | 29.3% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.4% | 29.1% | 33.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 41 Nepal 29.4% compare
- 42 Congo 29.4% compare
- 43 Botswana 29.2% compare
- 45 Lao People's Democratic Republic 29.0% compare
- 46 Bosnia and Herzegovina 28.7% compare
- 47 Bangladesh 28.5% compare
More economy & growth data for Republic of Korea
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.3902 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 14,137 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth 26.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth 32.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 4.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 20.83 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 754,550 current LCU per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 1.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.0147 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross capital formation in Republic of Korea?
- Gross capital formation in Republic of Korea was 29.1% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest gross capital formation recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 41.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest gross capital formation recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 1960.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for gross capital formation?
- Republic of Korea ranks 44th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is gross capital formation rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of Gross capital formation (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Gross capital formation includes acquisitions less disposals of produced assets for purposes of fixed capital formation, inventories or valuables. 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.