South Korea vs Upper middle income: Merchandise imports
Merchandise imports over time
- South Korea
- Upper middle income
How they compare
Upper middle income currently reports 6.62 trillion current US$ against 631.89 billion current US$ in South Korea, a difference of 5.98 trillion current US$.
That makes Upper middle income's figure about 10.5 times South Korea's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Upper middle income has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 12th and Upper middle income ranks 13th of 206 countries.
Upper middle income has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 750.80 million current US$ | 20.46 billion current US$ | 19.71 billion current US$ | Upper middle income |
| 1970s | 8.02 billion current US$ | 87.22 billion current US$ | 79.20 billion current US$ | Upper middle income |
| 1980s | 34.65 billion current US$ | 245.33 billion current US$ | 210.68 billion current US$ | Upper middle income |
| 1990s | 106.24 billion current US$ | 617.70 billion current US$ | 511.46 billion current US$ | Upper middle income |
| 2000s | 254.28 billion current US$ | 1.83 trillion current US$ | 1.58 trillion current US$ | Upper middle income |
| 2010s | 487.01 billion current US$ | 4.31 trillion current US$ | 3.82 trillion current US$ | Upper middle income |
| 2020s | 620.05 billion current US$ | 5.93 trillion current US$ | 5.31 trillion current US$ | Upper middle income |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher merchandise imports, South Korea or Upper middle income?
- Upper middle income, at 6.62 trillion current US$ against 631.89 billion current US$ in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in merchandise imports between South Korea and Upper middle income?
- 5.98 trillion current US$, with Upper middle income ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Upper middle income?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and Upper middle income rank globally for merchandise imports?
- South Korea ranks 12th and Upper middle income ranks 13th of 206 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Trade Organization (WTO), published as Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to 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. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.