ASIA & MIDDLE EAST · COUNTRY REFERENCE
South Korea
Written and compiled by American Business Capital Group Inc.
Selected country or entityMap: Natural Earth ↗
ANNUAL ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT
Population & economic scale
The most recent non-empty observations returned by the World Bank when this snapshot was collected. Read the year on each card: these are annual statistics, not live measurements.
World Bank reporting entity: Korea, Rep. · 3 of 3 indicators available.
Population
51,684,564
people
observation
Definition, value & source
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.
Received value: 51684564 people. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), uri: https://population.un.org/wpp/, publisher: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), uri: https://unstats.un.org/home/nso_sites/, publisher: National Statistical Offices; Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT), uri: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database?node_code=earn_ses_monthly, publisher: Eurostat; Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), United Nations (UN), uri: https://unstats.un.org, publisher: UN Statistics Division
GDP
$1.87 trillion
current US$
observation
Definition, value & source
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Received value: 1872374961553.15 current US$. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP per capita
$36,227
current US$ per person
observation
Definition, value & source
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate.This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Received value: 36226.9663637512 current US$ per person. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP and GDP per capita use current US dollars, without an inflation or purchasing-power-parity adjustment. Source years can differ. Missing data is not zero; earlier archive figures below are retained as a separate historical reference.
THE REFERENCE FILE
South Korea at a glance
These are historical reference facts from the 2025 World Factbook archive. Each estimate keeps its own period; an archive edition does not make every figure a measurement from that year.
Population
total: 51,486,343 (2025 est.) male: 25,636,127 female: 25,850,216
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$2.607 trillion (2023 est.) $2.572 trillion (2022 est.) $2.507 trillion (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$1.713 trillion (2023 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Real GDP growth rate
1.4% (2023 est.) 2.6% (2022 est.) 4.3% (2021 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per capita
$50,400 (2023 est.) $49,800 (2022 est.) $48,400 (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.3% (2024 est.) 3.6% (2023 est.) 5.1% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Unemployment rate
2.7% (2024 est.) 2.7% (2023 est.) 2.9% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Labor force
29.713 million (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Public debt
52.3% of GDP (2023 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP
Budget
revenues: $513.21 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $532.023 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
Current account balance
$99.043 billion (2024 est.) $32.822 billion (2023 est.) $25.829 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Exports
$835.149 billion (2024 est.) $769.243 billion (2023 est.) $825.961 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Imports
$758.724 billion (2024 est.) $758.41 billion (2023 est.) $817.594 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$418.219 billion (2024 est.) $420.93 billion (2023 est.) $423.366 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Internet users
percent of population: 97% (2023 est.)
THE HISTORICAL REFERENCE LIBRARY
Explore the country in detail
Browse the economy, population, resources and infrastructure. These archived descriptions keep their original wording and dates; they have not been updated to describe current conditions.
32 of 32 sections
Location
Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Capital
name: Seoul geographic coordinates: 37 33 N, 126 59 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name originates from the Korean word meaning "capital city;" it was the capital of the unified Korea from 1392 to 1910 note: Sejong, located some 120 km (75 mi) south of Seoul, serves as an administrative capital for segments of the South Korean government
1910 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Economic overview
high-income, export- and technology-oriented East Asian economy; manufacturing led by semiconductor and automotive industries; slow growth amid declining construction investment, export risks, and recent political instability; aging workforce; increased restraint in fiscal policy while maintaining industry support initiatives
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural resources
coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Agricultural products
rice, vegetables, cabbages, milk, onions, pork, chicken, eggs, tangerines/mandarins, potatoes (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Industries
electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Exports - partners
China 25%, USA 18%, Hong Kong 4%, Japan 4%, Taiwan 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Exports - commodities
integrated circuits, cars, refined petroleum, plastics, machine parts (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Imports - partners
China 31%, USA 13%, Japan 9%, Germany 5%, Australia 4% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Imports - commodities
integrated circuits, natural gas, crude petroleum, machinery, cars (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Climate
temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold winters
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Terrain
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Land use
agricultural land: 16.1% (2023 est.) arable land: 14.9% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 2.1% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 0.6% (2023 est.) forest: 64.4% (2023 est.) other: 19.5% (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural hazards
occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest volcanism: Halla (1,950 m) is considered historically active; it has not erupted in many centuries
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Languages
Korean, English major-language sample(s): 월드 팩트북, 필수적인 기본 정보 제공처 (Korean) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Religions
Protestant 17%, Buddhist 16%, Catholic 6%, none 60% (2021 est.) note: many people also carry on at least some Confucian traditions and practices
2021 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Age structure
0-14 years: 11.3% (male 3,024,508/female 2,873,523) 15-64 years: 69.4% (male 18,653,915/female 17,465,817) 65 years and over: 19.3% (2024 est.) (male 4,440,688/female 5,623,348)
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Urbanization
urban population: 81.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.31% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
2023, 2020 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 83.4 years (2024 est.) male: 80.3 years female: 86.6 years
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Literacy
total population: NA male: NA female: NA
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 151.139 million kW (2023 est.) consumption: 575.359 billion kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 19.688 billion kWh (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels: 61.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) nuclear: 30.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) solar: 5.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) wind: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) hydroelectricity: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) tide and wave: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) biomass and waste: 1.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Petroleum
total petroleum production: 38,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 2.542 million bbl/day (2024 est.)
2023, 2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural gas
production: 55.127 million cubic meters (2021 est.) consumption: 57.314 billion cubic meters (2023 est.) exports: 93.639 million cubic meters (2022 est.) imports: 60.025 billion cubic meters (2023 est.) proven reserves: 7.079 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
2021, 2023, 2022 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Carbon dioxide emissions
644.231 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 275.411 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 248.599 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from consumed natural gas: 120.222 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 89.2 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 173 (2024 est.)
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 24.1 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Airports
92 (2025)
2025 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Railways
total: 3,979 km (2016) standard gauge: 3,979 km (2016) 1.435-m gauge (2,727 km electrified)
2016 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Ports
total ports: 15 (2024) large: 2 medium: 5 small: 4 very small: 4 ports with oil terminals: 10 key ports: Busan, Gwangyang Hang, Inchon, Masan, Mokpo, Pyeongtaek Hang, Ulsan
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 1.6% (2023 est.) industry: 31.6% (2023 est.) services: 58.4% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Remittances
0.4% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.5% of GDP (2022 est.) 0.4% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
2023, 2022, 2021 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
CURRENCY OBSERVATIONS
Money & exchange rates
The latest verified daily references are separate from the historical country profile. Values are currency units per US$1.
Won
KRW per US$1
Published reference snapshot; its original observation date is preserved.
1 KRW = US$0.0007446183
1,339.77–1,385.43 KRW per US$1 across the displayed observations. The vertical scale follows this range.
View dated observations
| Observation date | KRW per US$1 |
|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2026 | 1,342.97 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | 1,346.06 |
| Oct 4, 2026 | 1,352.36 |
| Oct 3, 2026 | 1,353.44 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | 1,354.87 |
| Oct 1, 2026 | 1,357.92 |
| Sep 30, 2026 | 1,354.68 |
| Sep 29, 2026 | 1,357 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | 1,357.97 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 1,359.45 |
| Sep 26, 2026 | 1,360.48 |
| Sep 25, 2026 | 1,362.28 |
| Sep 24, 2026 | 1,367.55 |
| Sep 23, 2026 | 1,361.07 |
| Sep 22, 2026 | 1,365.07 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | 1,379.51 |
| Sep 20, 2026 | 1,385.43 |
| Sep 19, 2026 | 1,384.87 |
| Sep 18, 2026 | 1,384.15 |
| Sep 17, 2026 | 1,376.44 |
| Sep 16, 2026 | 1,363.2 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | 1,353.64 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 1,344.9 |
| Sep 13, 2026 | 1,343.26 |
| Sep 12, 2026 | 1,343.29 |
| Sep 11, 2026 | 1,343.2 |
| Sep 10, 2026 | 1,341.12 |
| Sep 9, 2026 | 1,339.77 |
| Sep 8, 2026 | 1,344.24 |
| Sep 7, 2026 | 1,347.98 |
Daily references are not live execution prices. A check time does not change a source observation date.
CAPITAL MARKETS
Stock exchanges
Exchange directory coverage is curated and does not establish that an entity has no other trading venues.
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Official data & country reports
Research directories have their own coverage. A link is not a claim that every entity has an IMF report or a separate national statistical office.
SOURCES & DATES
Where the facts come from.
Editorial presentation by American Business Capital Group Inc. The organizations and archive links below are the underlying sources.
- Country reference
- CIA World Factbook · 2025 archive
- Archive retrieved
- Oct 6, 2026 · retrieval date, not an observation period
- Currency associations
- SIX / ISO 4217 currency registry ↗
- Rate observations
- Frankfurter / official reference providers ↗ · each observation is dated separately
- State classification
- UN member states ↗ · UN observer states ↗
- UN membership is shown separately from territory and currency coverage; inclusion is not a position on sovereignty or boundaries.
- CIA World Factbook text preserved by World Factbook Archive. Archive edition 2025; individual estimates retain their own dates. These are historical reference facts, not current observations.
About the editions. The CIA announced the end of its online World Factbook on February 4, 2026. Our historical profiles retain the archive editions shown above.
Skyhorse lists The CIA World Factbook 2026–2027, published April 7, 2026 (ISBN 9781510786042). That book’s full text has not been incorporated here; its edition title does not redate the imported archive. Archive distribution license.
Geography is a simplified reference. Displayed boundaries and entity inclusion do not express a position on sovereignty or disputed borders.