South Korea vs United States: Food imports (% of merchandise imports)
Food imports (% of merchandise imports) over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 6.7% against 6.5% in South Korea, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 12 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1962 it was United States ahead.
South Korea ranks 185th and United States ranks 183rd of 196 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 4 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.5% | 19.7% | 4.3% | United States |
| 1970s | 12.7% | 11.9% | 0.8% | South Korea |
| 1980s | 7.4% | 7.2% | 0.2% | South Korea |
| 1990s | 5.8% | 5.2% | 0.6% | South Korea |
| 2000s | 4.9% | 4.4% | 0.5% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 5.4% | 5.6% | 0.2% | United States |
| 2020s | 6.3% | 6.7% | 0.4% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher food imports, South Korea or United States?
- United States, at 6.7% against 6.5% in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in food imports between South Korea and United States?
- 0.2%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1962 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and United States rank globally for food imports?
- South Korea ranks 185th and United States ranks 183rd of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.