Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP was 1.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP in Republic of Korea, 1995–2024
Source: UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Republic of Korea stood at 1.2%.
That represents a change of up 5.4% on the previous year and down 18.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Republic of Korea peaked at 2.1% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2021.
That places Republic of Korea 146th out of 191 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1.1% | — |
| 1996 | 1.0% | -11.6% |
| 1997 | 1.1% | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | +94.0% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | -22.3% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | -11.7% |
| 2001 | 1.4% | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | -16.0% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | -18.0% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -14.7% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -9.6% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | +62.5% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | +9.6% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | -11.0% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | +10.5% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | +5.8% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +6.1% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -15.5% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | +9.0% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | -24.2% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +26.1% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | +14.8% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -54.5% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -10.9% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | +41.3% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | +33.8% |
| 2024 | 1.2% | +5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 2.1% | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More economy & growth data for Republic of Korea
- Gross capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate -2.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2913 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 10,553 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), annual growth rate 1.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per unit of GDP 414.37 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per capita 15.01 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2815 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 10,198 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 0.6183 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Republic of Korea?
- Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Republic of Korea was 1.2% in 2024, according to UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1998.
- What is the lowest spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2021.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp?
- Republic of Korea ranks 146th out of 191 countries with data for 2024.
- Is spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Money received by the destination country from foreign visitors, including spending on accommodation, food, transport, entertainment, shopping, and fares paid to the country’s own airlines, as a share of, as a share of GDP.