What is total factor productivity in South Korea?

Total factor productivity in South Korea was 0.9769 in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest total factor productivity recorded in South Korea?

The highest recorded value was 1 in 2021.

What is the lowest total factor productivity recorded in South Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 0.3917 in 1957.

How does South Korea rank for total factor productivity?

South Korea ranks 84th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.

Is total factor productivity rising or falling in South Korea?

Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this South Korea data come from?

The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Total factor productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Total factor productivity in South Korea

Name: Total factor productivity in South Korea
Creator: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Korea: Total factor productivity was 0.9769 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

0.9769

Change on year

down 2.1%

World rank

84th

of 120 countries

All-time high

in 2021

All-time low

0.3917

in 1957

Years of data

1957–2023

Total factor productivity in South Korea, 1957–2023

Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 0.9769 for total factor productivity in 2023.

That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total factor productivity in South Korea peaked at 1 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.3917, in 1957.

That places South Korea 84th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 67 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	0.4034	0.3917	0.4142	3
1960s	0.4472	0.4191	0.4882	10
1970s	0.5693	0.5101	0.6081	10
1980s	0.6178	0.5462	0.6962	10
1990s	0.7487	0.711	0.8046	10
2000s	0.8739	0.8189	0.9284	10
2010s	0.9701	0.9564	0.9948	10
2020s	0.9904	0.9769	1	4

Countries ranked near South Korea

81 Eswatini 0.9795 compare
82 Israel 0.9791 compare
83 Hong Kong 0.9789 compare
85 Brazil 0.9768 compare
86 Russia 0.9755 compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More economy & growth data for South Korea

External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP 5.2% (2025)
Inflation of consumer prices 2.1% (2025)
GDP per capita 37,470 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 27.4% (2025)
Gross domestic product (GDP) 1.94 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
GDP per capita in international and market dollars 37,470 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
DEC alternative conversion factor 1,422 LCU per US$ (2025)
Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -6.93 trillion current LCU (2025)
Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -4.87 billion current US$ (2025)
Taxes less subsidies on products 185.85 trillion current LCU (2025)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is total factor productivity in South Korea?: Total factor productivity in South Korea was 0.9769 in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest total factor productivity recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 1 in 2021.
What is the lowest total factor productivity recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 0.3917 in 1957.
How does South Korea rank for total factor productivity?: South Korea ranks 84th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
Is total factor productivity rising or falling in South Korea?: Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?: The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Total factor productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 67 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Total factor productivity
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 120 places, 6,892 data points, 1954–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

This is the level of total factor productivity, relative to each country's value in 2021 (which is set to 1). This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.