Services, value added per worker in South Korea
South Korea: Services, value added per worker was 53,735 constant 2015 US$ in 2025. ▲ Rising
Services, value added per worker in South Korea, 1991–2025
Source: World Development Indicators database, World Bank (WB). Measured in constant 2015 US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for services, value added per worker in South Korea is 53,735 constant 2015 US$, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, services, value added per worker in South Korea peaked at 53,735 constant 2015 US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 27,068 constant 2015 US$, in 1991.
That places South Korea 29th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Services, value added per worker in South Korea, year by year
| Year | constant 2015 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 27,068 constant 2015 US$ | — |
| 1992 | 27,258 constant 2015 US$ | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 27,870 constant 2015 US$ | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 28,796 constant 2015 US$ | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 30,021 constant 2015 US$ | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 30,959 constant 2015 US$ | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 31,824 constant 2015 US$ | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 31,961 constant 2015 US$ | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 33,910 constant 2015 US$ | +6.1% |
| 2000 | 35,085 constant 2015 US$ | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 35,630 constant 2015 US$ | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 37,253 constant 2015 US$ | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 38,022 constant 2015 US$ | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 37,690 constant 2015 US$ | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 38,726 constant 2015 US$ | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 39,602 constant 2015 US$ | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 41,013 constant 2015 US$ | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 41,884 constant 2015 US$ | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 42,083 constant 2015 US$ | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 43,680 constant 2015 US$ | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 44,067 constant 2015 US$ | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 44,414 constant 2015 US$ | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 45,295 constant 2015 US$ | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 45,353 constant 2015 US$ | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 45,986 constant 2015 US$ | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 46,824 constant 2015 US$ | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 47,647 constant 2015 US$ | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 49,540 constant 2015 US$ | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 50,486 constant 2015 US$ | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 50,924 constant 2015 US$ | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 52,572 constant 2015 US$ | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 52,897 constant 2015 US$ | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 53,072 constant 2015 US$ | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 53,197 constant 2015 US$ | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 53,735 constant 2015 US$ | +1.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 53,735 constant 2015 US$ is below the median for high income countries, which is 54,874 constant 2015 US$, 98% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 53,735 constant 2015 US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 14,801 constant 2015 US$, 3.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29,963 constant 2015 US$ | 27,068 constant 2015 US$ | 33,910 constant 2015 US$ | 9 |
| 2000s | 38,699 constant 2015 US$ | 35,085 constant 2015 US$ | 42,083 constant 2015 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 46,329 constant 2015 US$ | 43,680 constant 2015 US$ | 50,486 constant 2015 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 52,733 constant 2015 US$ | 50,924 constant 2015 US$ | 53,735 constant 2015 US$ | 6 |
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 services, value added per worker in South Korea?
- Services, value added per worker in South Korea was 53,735 constant 2015 US$ in 2025, according to World Development Indicators database, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest services, value added per worker recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 53,735 constant 2015 US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest services, value added per worker recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 27,068 constant 2015 US$ in 1991.
- How does South Korea rank for services, value added per worker?
- South Korea ranks 29th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is services, value added per worker rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Development Indicators database, World Bank (WB), published as part of Services, value added per worker (constant 2015 US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Services industries correspond to ISIC (Rev. 4) divisions 45-99 and includes wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, hotels and restaurants, transport, storage and communication, financial intermediation, real estate, renting and business activities, public administration and defence, compulsory social security, education, health and social work, other community, social and personal service activities, private households with employed persons, and extra-territorial organizations and bodies. 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. The core indicator has been divided by the number of workers in the economy to derive a measure of labor productivity. This indicator is expressed in constant prices, meaning the series has been adjusted to account for price changes over time. The reference year for this adjustment is 2015. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.