At a glance
Twelve headline indicators, latest available year.
What changed in South Korea
Statistically notable movements in the latest data.
- Record high2023MajorMedian age reached a record high of 44.5 years in 2023 (series since 1950).
- Record high2024MajorTertiary enrolment reached a record high of 111.9 % in 2024 (series since 2000).
- Sharp rise2025MajorSeniors (65+) rose 1.1 points to 20.3 % in 2025 (largest rise on record).
- Sharp rise2025NotableTrade balance rose US$ 20.3B to US$ 96.7B in 2025 (largest rise since 2024).
Countries similar to South Korea
Nearest peers by standardised distance on the selected dimension.
Country DNA
Percentile rank among all countries on nine dimensions. Descriptive, not a score.
2025
Key facts
Computed from the data — no model-generated numbers.
Within East Asia & Pacific, South Korea ranks 7th of 32 for GDP per capita (PPP) (intl $ 63,125, 2025).
South Korea's population grew 9.9 % between 2000 and 2025, from 47.0M people to 51.7M people.
Life expectancy of 83.6 years ranks 4th of 37 in East Asia & Pacific (2024).
CO₂ emissions of 11.29 t per person are 3.8× the world median of 2.99 t (2024).
97.9 % of people used the internet in 2024, up from 83.7 % in 2010.
81.2 % of the population lived in urban areas in 2025, compared with 79.6 % in 2000.
Renewables' share of electricity generation rose from 1.1 % in 2010 to 10.4 % in 2025 (+9.2 points).
Life expectancy gained 7.7 years since 2000, from 75.9 years to 83.6 years in 2024.
GDP per capita rose from US$ 12,710 in 2000 to US$ 36,227 in 2025 (+185.0 % in current US dollars).
GDP grew 2.5 % a year on average over 2014–2025.
Unemployment of 2.7 % in 2025 is below the East Asia & Pacific median of 3.2 %.
South Korea ranks 18th of 38 OECD members for GDP per capita (PPP), at intl $ 63,125 in 2025.
Central government debt rose from 31.0 % of GDP in 2012 to 47.8 % in 2024.
With a median age of 44.5 years, South Korea ranks 16th of 216 countries worldwide (2023).
Trade is worth 86.4 % of GDP (2025), above the world median of 79.5 %.
The fertility rate fell from 1.48 births/woman in 2000 to 0.75 births/woman in 2024.
Borders: North Korea
Languages: Korean
Timeline
Records, reversals and turning points across the whole history.
- 2025
- Sharp riseOld-age dependency ratio rose 1.8 points to 29.3 % in 2025.
- Sharp riseSeniors (65+) rose 1.1 points to 20.3 % in 2025.
- Sharp riseTrade balance rose US$ 20.3B to US$ 96.7B in 2025.
- Sharp riseSolar electricity share rose 0.8 points to 6.1 % in 2025.
- ReversalPopulation growth turned negative in 2025 (-0.13 %).
- Sharp riseICT service exports (% of service exports) rose 0.8 points to 12.5 % in 2025.
- Record highExchange rate set a new high of 1,422.441 LCU/US$ in 2025, the first since 1998.
- Record highCurrent account balance (US$) set a new high of US$ 123.1B in 2025, the first since 2015.
- 2024
- Sharp riseTrade balance rose US$ 69.3B to US$ 76.4B in 2024.
- Sharp riseCurrent account balance (US$) rose US$ 67.4B to US$ 100.0B in 2024.
- Sharp riseOld-age dependency ratio rose 1.5 points to 27.5 % in 2024.
- Sharp riseFDI outflows rose 0.9 points to 2.7 % in 2024.
- Sharp riseMethane emissions rose 8.8 % to 39.7 Mt CO₂e in 2024.
- Sharp riseSeniors (65+) rose 0.9 points to 19.3 % in 2024.
- Sharp dropTax revenue fell 1.5 points to 25.3 % in 2024.
- Sharp riseHigh-tech exports rose 6.0 points to 36.3 % in 2024.
- Sharp riseOut-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure) rose 2.0 points to 33.7 % in 2024.
- Sharp riseChildren out of school, primary rose 690.3 % to 1,383 children in 2024.
- Sharp dropCentral gov. revenue fell 1.6 points to 25.8 % in 2024.
- Sharp dropServices share fell 1.4 points to 57.5 % in 2024.
- Sharp riseObesity rose 0.5 points to 8.4 % in 2024.
- Record highTertiary educational attainment (ages 25–34) set a new high of 70.6 % in 2024, the first since 2016.
- 2023
- Sharp dropFDI outflows fell 1.9 points to 1.7 % in 2023.
- Sharp riseAir transport, passengers carried rose 62.8 % to 76.3M passengers in 2023.
- Sharp dropTax revenue fell 2.9 points to 26.9 % in 2023.
- Sharp riseContribution to global warming from greenhouse gases rose 0.0010 °C to 0.0110 °C in 2023.
- Sharp dropMaternal mortality ratio fell 42.9 % to 4.0 per 100,000 in 2023.
- Sharp dropChildren out of school, primary fell 99.4 % to 175 children in 2023.
- Sharp riseArable land (% of land area) rose 1.4 points to 14.9 % in 2023.
- Sharp riseArable land (hectares per person) rose 10.2 % to 0.03 ha in 2023.
Explore South Korea by topic
19 topics · 270 indicators with data.
- Economy26 with data · 27 indicators
- Government & public finance14 with data · 18 indicators
- Population & demographics23 with data · 23 indicators
- Employment & wages14 with data · 19 indicators
- Income & inequality7 with data · 10 indicators
- Housing6 with data · 12 indicators
- Health22 with data · 23 indicators
- Education15 with data · 16 indicators
- Trade21 with data · 21 indicators
- Energy26 with data · 26 indicators
- Climate16 with data · 16 indicators
- Environment10 with data · 10 indicators
- Infrastructure & transportation10 with data · 10 indicators
- Digital economy & Internet6 with data · 6 indicators
- Innovation, research & technology9 with data · 9 indicators
- Agriculture & natural resources20 with data · 20 indicators
- Tourism5 with data · 5 indicators
- Security & governance7 with data · 15 indicators
- Quality of life13 with data · 14 indicators