Lending interest rate in South Korea
South Korea: Lending interest rate was 4.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Lending interest rate in South Korea, 1996–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 4.2% for lending interest rate in 2025.
That represents a change of down 11.3% on the previous year and up 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lending interest rate in South Korea peaked at 15.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2020.
South Korea ranks 137th of 148 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.9% | 9.4% | 15.3% | 4 |
| 2000s | 6.6% | 5.6% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 3.4% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 2.8% | 5.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More financial sector data for South Korea
- Net migration 65,731 (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports 6.46 (2025)
- Net domestic credit 5,011.74 trillion current LCU (2024)
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks 160.3% (2024)
- Net foreign assets 627.85 trillion current LCU (2024)
- Claims on central government, etc. 3.4% (2024)
- Monetary Sector credit to private sector 160.3% (2024)
- Domestic credit to private sector 160.3% (2024)
- Broad money 162.7% (2024)
- Official exchange rate 1,422 LCU per US$, period average (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lending interest rate in South Korea?
- Lending interest rate in South Korea was 4.2% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest lending interest rate recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 15.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest lending interest rate recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2020.
- How does South Korea rank for lending interest rate?
- South Korea ranks 137th out of 148 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lending interest rate rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Lending interest rate (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Lending rate is the bank rate that usually meets the short- and medium-term financing needs of the private sector. This rate is normally differentiated according to creditworthiness of borrowers and objectives of financing. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.