Trade in services as share of GDP in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Trade in services as share of GDP was 17.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
17.9%
Change on year
up 7.0%
World rank
113th
of 198 countries
All-time high
17.9%
in 2025
All-time low
6.9%
in 1991
Years of data
50
1976–2025
Trade in services as share of GDP in Republic of Korea, 1976–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Republic of Korea recorded 17.9% for trade in services as share of gdp in 2025. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 7.0% on the previous year and up 31.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in services as share of gdp in Republic of Korea peaked at 17.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 1991.
That places Republic of Korea 113th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Trade in services as share of GDP in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 8.9% | — |
| 1977 | 12.3% | +37.6% |
| 1978 | 13.7% | +11.5% |
| 1979 | 11.6% | -15.6% |
| 1980 | 13.2% | +13.6% |
| 1981 | 13.8% | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 14.0% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 12.1% | -13.3% |
| 1984 | 11.0% | -9.0% |
| 1985 | 9.2% | -16.3% |
| 1986 | 8.7% | -5.1% |
| 1987 | 8.8% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 7.6% | -13.9% |
| 1989 | 7.2% | -4.3% |
| 1990 | 7.2% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 6.9% | -4.9% |
| 1992 | 6.9% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 7.2% | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 7.6% | +6.4% |
| 1995 | 8.6% | +12.0% |
| 1996 | 8.6% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 9.8% | +13.4% |
| 1998 | 13.1% | +33.5% |
| 1999 | 10.7% | -17.9% |
| 2000 | 11.0% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 11.2% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 10.4% | -7.1% |
| 2003 | 10.5% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 11.6% | +10.8% |
| 2005 | 11.3% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 11.6% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 12.8% | +10.0% |
| 2008 | 17.3% | +35.2% |
| 2009 | 15.7% | -9.0% |
| 2010 | 15.1% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 14.8% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 15.8% | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 14.6% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 13.6% | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 12.6% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 13.0% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 13.4% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 11.3% | -15.8% |
| 2021 | 12.8% | +13.9% |
| 2022 | 15.3% | +19.5% |
| 2023 | 15.4% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 16.7% | +8.3% |
| 2025 | 17.9% | +7.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.6% | 8.9% | 13.7% | 4 |
| 1980s | 10.6% | 7.2% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.7% | 6.9% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.3% | 10.4% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.1% | 12.6% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.9% | 11.3% | 17.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 110 Philippines 18.4% compare
- 111 Lao People's Democratic Republic 18.2% compare
- 112 Senegal 18.1% compare
- 114 Syria 17.7% compare
- 115 Egypt 17.4% compare
- 116 Central African Republic 17.3% compare
More economy & growth data for Republic of Korea
- Services, value added (constant LCU), per capita 26.07 million constant LCU per person (2025)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 3.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 0.0121 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9302 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 33,699 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 4.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1,323 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 47.93 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.9641 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in services as share of gdp in Republic of Korea?
- Trade in services as share of gdp in Republic of Korea was 17.9% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest trade in services as share of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 17.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest trade in services as share of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 1991.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for trade in services as share of gdp?
- Republic of Korea ranks 113th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade in services as share of gdp rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Trade in services as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total services trade (exports and imports) divided by gross domestic product (GDP).