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COUNTRY OUTLOOK / KR

South Korea

Bank of korea base rate · ISO:KR

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Missing or stale rateTarget · 31 Oct 2026Issued · 15 Sep 2026, 02:54 UTCRESEARCH ONLY
CapitalSeoul
RegionEast Asia & Pacific
Income groupHigh income
CurrencyKRW
GDP$1.87T2025 · current US$
Real GDP growth1.01%2025 · annual %
Population51.68M2025 · people
GDP per capita$36,226.972025 · current US$

Latest available annual observations; years differ by indicator. Monetary values use the stated current-price basis and are not forecasts. World Bank data fetched 2026-09-15.

Economic structure

2025 · share of GDP

Broad sectors use the latest common year. Manufacturing is included in industry. Shares can total less than 100% because of taxes and accounting adjustments.

South Korea's largest reported broad sector is services in 2025.

Monetary & research context

Policy authorityISO:KR
Policy frameworkunverified rate framework
Native targetpolicy benchmark rate
Decision evidence0
Calendar evidence0
Communication records0

Evidence counts include research inputs; they do not establish live coverage or independent observations. A country's economic composition is descriptive and does not establish what caused a model forecast.

Country events & results ↗

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Real GDP growth

1.01% · 2025 · annual %

Real GDP growth · annual %-0.70%1.96%4.61%2014: 3.21468019683108 annual %2015: 2.92029267301234 annual %2016: 3.17152748983935 annual %2017: 3.433191763972 annual %2018: 3.17611568177327 annual %2019: 2.31380210595475 annual %2020: -0.700242317542106 annual %2021: 4.61296795454287 annual %2022: 2.72756456708991 annual %2023: 1.58301467403629 annual %2024: 2.00361101838986 annual %2025: 1.00701840291242 annual %20142025
View annual observations
YearValue (annual %)
20251.007
20242.004
20231.583
20222.728
20214.613
2020-0.700
20192.314
20183.176
20173.433
20163.172
20152.920
20143.215
World Bank source & definition ↗

Economy

GDP$1.87T2025 · current US$Source & definition ↗
Real GDP growth1.01%2025 · annual %Source & definition ↗
GDP per capita$36,226.972025 · current US$Source & definition ↗
GDP at purchasing power parityInt$ 3.26T2025 · current international $Source & definition ↗

People

Population51.68M2025 · peopleSource & definition ↗
Population growth-0.13%2025 · annual %Source & definition ↗
Urban population81.17%2025 · % of populationSource & definition ↗
Life expectancy83.632024 · yearsSource & definition ↗
Unemployment · ILO estimate2.68%2025 · % of labor forceSource & definition ↗
Labor force participation · ages 15+64.35%2025 · % of population ages 15+Source & definition ↗

Sectors

Agriculture, forestry & fishing1.46%2025 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗
Industry including construction34.33%2025 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗
Services57.23%2025 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗
Manufacturing27.43%2025 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗

Trade & investment

Exports of goods & services45.76%2025 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗
Imports of goods & services40.60%2025 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗
Current account balance6.57%2025 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗
Foreign direct investment · net inflows0.84%2025 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗

Money & public finance

Consumer inflation2.12%2025 · annual %Source & definition ↗
Central government debt47.81%2024 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗
Tax revenue13.29%2024 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗
Government cash surplus / deficitNot available% of GDP
Domestic credit to private sector160.35%2024 · % of GDPSource & definition ↗
Total reserves including gold$436.57B2025 · current US$Source & definition ↗

Infrastructure

Internet use97.90%2024 · % of populationSource & definition ↗
Access to electricity100.00%2024 · % of populationSource & definition ↗

Geography

Surface area100,4502023 · square kmSource & definition ↗

Government debt covers central government, which can differ substantially from general-government debt. Indicator definitions, estimation methods and coverage differ. Latest available does not mean current-year: older observations remain explicitly dated. Source: World Bank WDI and its underlying contributors.

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Every forecast has a boundary.This is a dated research snapshot, not an automatically updating market feed. Source gaps, model limitations, and adverse results are retained.

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