Machinery and transport equipment in Korea
Korea: Machinery and transport equipment was 42.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Machinery and transport equipment in Korea, 1963–2023
Source: International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Measured in % of value added in manufacturing.
Analysis
The most recent figure for machinery and transport equipment in Korea is 42.1%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 7.1% on the previous year and down 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, machinery and transport equipment in Korea peaked at 50.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 4.7%, in 1964.
That places Korea 5th out of 149 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Machinery and transport equipment in Korea, year by year
| Year | % of value added in manufacturing | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 5.5% | — |
| 1964 | 4.7% | -14.8% |
| 1965 | 6.1% | +29.2% |
| 1966 | 8.1% | +33.5% |
| 1967 | 6.7% | -18.2% |
| 1968 | 6.6% | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 8.0% | +20.2% |
| 1970 | 6.8% | -14.3% |
| 1971 | 5.5% | -20.2% |
| 1972 | 5.4% | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 6.7% | +24.5% |
| 1974 | 6.9% | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 6.3% | -8.7% |
| 1976 | 7.9% | +25.7% |
| 1977 | 11.2% | +41.6% |
| 1978 | 10.7% | -4.3% |
| 1979 | 10.3% | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 9.3% | -9.4% |
| 1981 | 10.3% | +10.7% |
| 1982 | 11.6% | +11.8% |
| 1983 | 12.5% | +7.9% |
| 1984 | 13.0% | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 13.8% | +6.1% |
| 1986 | 13.8% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 14.3% | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 14.4% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 15.2% | +5.4% |
| 1990 | 30.2% | +98.5% |
| 1991 | 29.9% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 29.0% | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 30.1% | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 32.8% | +8.9% |
| 1995 | 36.1% | +10.2% |
| 1996 | 36.5% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 37.0% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 35.2% | -5.1% |
| 1999 | 38.9% | +10.8% |
| 2000 | 41.3% | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 41.1% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 42.3% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 43.0% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 44.4% | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 44.0% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 46.3% | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 49.5% | +7.0% |
| 2008 | 47.9% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 50.2% | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 49.8% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 49.3% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 48.3% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 48.8% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 48.6% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 48.7% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 47.4% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 48.3% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 48.2% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 47.3% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 47.6% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 48.2% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 45.3% | -6.1% |
| 2023 | 42.1% | -7.1% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 42.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.4%, 2.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Korea's 42.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22.0%, 1.9× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Machinery and transport equipment in 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +98.5% | 15.2% | 30.2% |
| 1977 | +41.6% | 7.9% | 11.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.5% | 4.7% | 8.1% | 7 |
| 1970s | 7.8% | 5.4% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.8% | 9.3% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 33.6% | 29.0% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.0% | 41.1% | 50.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.5% | 47.3% | 49.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.8% | 42.1% | 48.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Korea
More economy & growth data for 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 machinery and transport equipment in Korea?
- Machinery and transport equipment in Korea was 42.1% in 2023, according to International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
- What is the highest machinery and transport equipment recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 50.2% in 2009.
- What is the lowest machinery and transport equipment recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.7% in 1964.
- How does Korea rank for machinery and transport equipment?
- Korea ranks 5th out of 149 countries with data for 2023.
- Is machinery and transport equipment rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), published as part of Machinery and transport equipment (% of value added in manufacturing). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Machinery and transport equipment manufacturing includes industries classified in ISIC (Rev. 3) divisions 29-35. Value added is the contribution to the economy by a producer or an industry or an institutional sector, which is estimated by the total value of output produced and deducting the total value of intermediate consumption of goods and services used to produce that output. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of value added in manufacturing which is the contribution to the economy by the manufacturing sector (ISIC Rev. 3 major division D).