Trade in South Korea
South Korea: Trade was 86.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Trade in South Korea, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
South 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 South Korea peaked at 101.7% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 14.6%, in 1960.
South 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.
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 South Korea
- 87 El Salvador 88.2% compare
- 88 Democratic Republic of Congo 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 South Korea
- 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)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 130.66 billion current US$ (2025)
- Net primary income (Net income from abroad) 45.76 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Net primary income (Net income from abroad) 32.17 billion current US$ (2025)
- GNI per capita 52.42 million current LCU (2025)
- GNI per capita, Atlas method 37,880 current US$ (2025)
- GNI 2,709.10 trillion current LCU (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in South Korea?
- Trade in South 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 101.7% in 2011.
- What is the lowest trade recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.6% in 1960.
- How does South Korea rank for trade?
- South Korea ranks 90th out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South 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.