Taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of GDP in Korea
Korea: Taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of GDP was 9.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
9.2%
Change on year
down 17.2%
World rank
43rd
of 184 countries
All-time high
11.1%
in 2022
All-time low
3.8%
in 1984
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of GDP in Korea, 1980–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of gdp in Korea stood at 9.2%.
That represents a change of down 17.2% on the previous year and up 42.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of gdp in Korea peaked at 11.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 1984.
That places Korea 43rd out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of GDP in Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 4.1% | — |
| 1981 | 4.2% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 4.3% | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 4.0% | -7.0% |
| 1984 | 3.8% | -5.1% |
| 1985 | 4.0% | +4.8% |
| 1986 | 3.9% | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 4.4% | +12.8% |
| 1988 | 4.6% | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 5.4% | +18.0% |
| 1990 | 5.9% | +9.0% |
| 1991 | 5.2% | -11.5% |
| 1992 | 5.2% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 5.0% | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 5.2% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 5.5% | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 5.3% | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 4.8% | -10.1% |
| 1998 | 5.6% | +16.2% |
| 1999 | 4.6% | -17.3% |
| 2000 | 5.8% | +26.2% |
| 2001 | 5.4% | -7.0% |
| 2002 | 5.2% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 5.9% | +13.0% |
| 2004 | 5.7% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 6.1% | +7.2% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 7.2% | +12.9% |
| 2008 | 7.0% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 6.2% | -11.4% |
| 2010 | 6.0% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 6.7% | +11.2% |
| 2012 | 6.8% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 6.5% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 6.5% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 7.3% | +7.2% |
| 2017 | 7.7% | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 8.6% | +11.6% |
| 2019 | 8.5% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 8.1% | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 9.3% | +14.3% |
| 2022 | 11.1% | +20.1% |
| 2023 | 9.2% | -17.2% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 9.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.0%, 92% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Korea's 9.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.9%, 1.3× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.3% | 3.8% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.2% | 4.6% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.1% | 5.2% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 6.0% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.4% | 8.1% | 11.1% | 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 taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of gdp in Korea?
- Taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of gdp in Korea was 9.2% in 2023, according to UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of gdp recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 11.1% in 2022.
- What is the lowest taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of gdp recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 1984.
- How does Korea rank for taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of gdp?
- Korea ranks 43rd out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of gdp rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Taxes on incomes of individuals and corporations as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Tax revenue on incomes, profits and capital gains divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.