Trade in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Trade was 86.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
86.4%
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
90th
of 192 countries
All-time high
101.7%
in 2011
All-time low
14.6%
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Trade in Republic of Korea, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Republic of Korea recorded 86.4% for trade in 2025.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in Republic of Korea peaked at 101.7% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 14.6%, in 1960.
Republic of Korea ranks 90th of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Trade in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 14.6% | — |
| 1961 | 17.9% | +23.2% |
| 1962 | 19.4% | +8.2% |
| 1963 | 18.5% | -4.5% |
| 1964 | 17.3% | -6.8% |
| 1965 | 21.3% | +23.5% |
| 1966 | 26.5% | +24.2% |
| 1967 | 28.6% | +7.9% |
| 1968 | 32.5% | +13.9% |
| 1969 | 32.8% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 32.2% | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 35.3% | +9.5% |
| 1972 | 37.5% | +6.3% |
| 1973 | 50.8% | +35.4% |
| 1974 | 54.6% | +7.4% |
| 1975 | 53.0% | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 53.0% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 53.0% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 53.3% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 53.5% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 64.2% | +20.0% |
| 1981 | 65.7% | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 59.0% | -10.3% |
| 1983 | 56.6% | -4.0% |
| 1984 | 56.0% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 51.3% | -8.3% |
| 1986 | 58.4% | +13.8% |
| 1987 | 61.1% | +4.6% |
| 1988 | 56.9% | -6.8% |
| 1989 | 51.3% | -9.8% |
| 1990 | 49.2% | -4.2% |
| 1991 | 48.3% | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 47.2% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 45.4% | -3.8% |
| 1994 | 47.7% | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 51.4% | +7.7% |
| 1996 | 51.6% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 55.9% | +8.3% |
| 1998 | 66.3% | +18.7% |
| 1999 | 57.9% | -12.7% |
| 2000 | 64.1% | +10.6% |
| 2001 | 60.4% | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 56.7% | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 59.4% | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 67.9% | +14.3% |
| 2005 | 66.2% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 68.4% | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 71.3% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 92.1% | +29.1% |
| 2009 | 83.1% | -9.7% |
| 2010 | 88.0% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 101.7% | +15.5% |
| 2012 | 101.5% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 94.2% | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 86.9% | -7.7% |
| 2015 | 75.4% | -13.3% |
| 2016 | 69.9% | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 73.2% | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 74.7% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 71.4% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 65.5% | -8.3% |
| 2021 | 75.3% | +14.9% |
| 2022 | 90.6% | +20.3% |
| 2023 | 82.3% | -9.2% |
| 2024 | 84.6% | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 86.4% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 22.9% | 14.6% | 32.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 47.6% | 32.2% | 54.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 58.1% | 51.3% | 65.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.1% | 45.4% | 66.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.0% | 56.7% | 92.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.7% | 69.9% | 101.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.8% | 65.5% | 90.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 87 El Salvador 88.2% compare
- 88 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 87.3% compare
- 89 Portugal 86.4% compare
- 91 Gabon 84.9% compare
- 92 Afghanistan 83.8% compare
- 93 Panama 83.7% 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 Republic of Korea?
- Trade in Republic of Korea was 86.4% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest trade recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 101.7% in 2011.
- What is the lowest trade recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.6% in 1960.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for trade?
- Republic of Korea ranks 90th out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of Trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Trade is the sum of exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.